Shadow Of The Dragon
by Scarlet Hondae
Summary: A new time, a new breed. With help from the old, three rangers must learn to cope with death, love and a new life that just happens to involve saving the world. In the shadows, one man lerks, waiting to become more than a shadow...Reviews are loved.
1. Chapter 1

Ice blue eyes pierced the night as the shadow made its way from the forest to the house, making no noise. She gripped the heavy glass doors and slid one open slowly, only to freeze and narrow her eyes as a light flickered on. Her heavy dark red hair was now visible, as were her black jeans and white halter top. Over one arm was a heavy leather jacket, and leather boots completed the outfit.

"Serenity Katharine Fernadez!" Her foster mother growled as she stood in the living room entrance, "Just where have you been?"

"Serenity Katharine Costa Fernadez, Mother dearest." She blinked her eyelashes mockingly, and then she dropped the act and went back to being emotionless as she added, "And I was out with my boyfriend. Can't remember his name, though, if you're going to ask."

Running her hand through brown to dirty blond hairs, Kira Fernadez closed her tawny eyes and heaved a sigh. She ran a hand through her hair, then winced as her wedding ring caught the golden brown stands.

Kira plopped on the couch after a second, head tilted back. The light bathed her in gold, and made her yellow t-shirt look more gold than, well, yellow. Her black jeans looked a lot like her foster daughter's, but neither would ever admit that they had similar fashions, that they agreed on even that small a thing.

The girl was trouble, Kira knew, and she'd pulled this stunt before and would again. Sometimes the older woman wished she'd never offered to take Trinity, as was her ironic nickname, but then she would look her in the eye and realize the girl was wounded and needed help. She had pledged to help those who needed it, and this girl needed it, so that was that.

"I didn't give you permission, Trinity!" Kira finally snapped, "You can't just keep coming and going whenever you feel like it! Life doesn't _work _like that!" Then a pause came, "Just because I'm not here, doesn't mean you can break the rules!"

"So it's do as I say, not as I do? You can be out all night, but I can't be?" Trinity snapped back, her voice rising a bit. She normally had control on her emotions, but her shields were still kinda weak, and Kira's emotions were screwing with hers. They always did on nights like this.

"I'm _different! _I'm an adult!" Kira argued back weakly, but Trinity didn't push it. She just turned it out, instead. Let Kira yell a bit, that would make her feel better.

Trinity knew exactly what Kira did this late at night. The woman was a former yellow Power Ranger, and she mentored the new group. Trinity had tracked and followed Kira the second day she had been here, and found it all out. She knew Kira and the team were helping people, and that's why she didn't say a thing, and tried not to give Kira more grief about not being around.

"...grounded for a month. School, home, work. That's it." There was a pause as Kira finally took a breath.

"Screw. That!" Trinity snarled, then pivoted and bolted up the stairs. She was on the last step when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

She reacted; she felt a hard, aggressive person behind her, his hand on her, and she moved as she had learned on the streets. She turned sharply, grabbed his forearm, and with a little too much power, more than a man twice her size, sent him flying into the wall. Without thought, she snapped out her leg, pinning the person's chest to the wall.

Trinity was stronger, faster and smarter than anyone thought, and knew what to make of it. She might only be a slender, almost too skinny, medium height girl, but she could handle herself well. It wasn't superpowers, but she had grown up on the in a living hell, born of destruction and forged of fire. Practice made perfect, and she was pretty near perfect with her fighting.

Everything in the room was quiet as she looked down with a raised eyebrow and guarded face. Trent Fernadez, her foster father, pushed her leg aside while Kira stood gaping at her husband. He looked a little beat up with his hair a mess, and his fashion sense – white t-shirt with jeans - was still bad, but all in one piece. She blinked and brought her leg slowly to her side, then down. She shouldn't have displayed her power, but she had and that was that.

Looming over her, he glared down as he brushed himself off, then smiled like a shark, shaking his head. "I was going to tell you to listen to you're mother, but it seems I shouldn't have tried. Though I'm not sure you should be so harsh next time, Trinity. I was truly only going to talk to you."

She could sense he was still pissed, feel it in her bones. Of course, she was still wearing the fingerless gloves, so the touch it took to throw him would have allowed her to feel most of the emotion. Ignoring them all, she took care of the problem by slipping off the fingerless gloves and pulling on the full leather ones she always kept in her pockets.

Finally, seeing that no one was going to leave her alone, she said shortly, "I lived on the streets, remember? I can defend myself pretty damn well." Her excuse for the reason she fought so well, and really, it wasn't all a lie.

"As we can all see," Jonas said from where he was leaning against the door jam to the kitchen. "Now that you're finished, can we steal Kira? We need help in the Juice Bar."

Trinity turned her glare on him, carefully making sure her mental walls were up. Jonas was the only one of the group that worried her. At six foot three with broad shoulders and a presence of a leader, the Red Dragon Ranger was physically intimidating. With spiked up (dyed) brown hair, and amber eyes, he looked tough, acted tough, was tough. It was worse than the physical, though. He was a mind reader, which was what worried her.

Chris, the Blue Ranger, stood behind Jonas and to his left. The oldest at nineteen, Chris was almost six foot one, and while slim, almost as dangerous as Jonas. He was Trent's son from the guy's first marriage, and look a whole lot like his father, except his eyes. His eyes were a dark blue, and he had inherited Trent's power tenfold. He could even make object he touched blend with their surroundings.

Lauren, Chris's girlfriend, was the last of the ranger trio. She wore a pink halter and a pair of blue jeans like always, looking as Nordic as ever. Her hair was silver blonde, a ponytail high on the back of her head, emphasizing her sharp cheekbones. Her eyes were dark blue, and she was whip thin, her sleek muscles those of a runner. The daughter of Connor and Krista, she had taken superspeed from her father, and his love of soccer. She'd come to live with them when she had become a ranger, and had hit it off with Chris right away.

"Yeah. In fact, you can take Trent, too. Keep him while you're at it." Trinity snarled before turning and going back towards her original destination.

She slammed the door of her room, despite the fact that Kira had called after her not to. She stripped out of the jeans and halter top, throwing the leather jacket on her twin bed. She tossed the bra back into the basket, followed by her underwear, before she rummaged in her closet. She never slept naked, if only because she always needed to be ready to run.

Black sweat pants with a silver streak down the side graced her long legs after a second, and a black tank top with a sports bra that supported her small breasts came next. Then she made her way to the bathroom, putting on the hot water as she waited to strip off her makeup. God, she hated playing goth girl, if only because it required so much makeup and falseness.

She looked around and frowned, realizing she didn't have a hand towel. She turned off the water and left her bathroom, wincing as she felt people in the hallway. She closed the door softly and made her way towards the linen closet, wincing again when she felt the door creek. She grabbed a fluffy white towel, then stopped and sighed. Jonas stood behind her.

Turning slowly, she narrowed her eyes on him as he leaned against the stair's railing. "What do you want?" She finally asked when he just continued looking at her.

"I wanted to ask if you'd be a bit nicer to Kira and Trent." He finally said, all air of joking pushed aside. "I was adopted by them as well, and I know what you're going through, but be civil, will ya? They took you in against everything and you're treating them like dirt. They've given you everything and you're spitting on them."

"They," Her voice was chilly, because she was angry. Angry because he was right. "Give me food and shelter. Nothing more. They took me in because they felt obligated." She turned, giving him her back against every instinct. "Oh, and you have no idea what I'm going through." She almost winced at the last line; she sounded like a petulant teenager.

She heard an aggravated sigh as she closed the door of her bathroom again, but ignored it. Instead, she turned the water on hot and washed her face. The water burned, but that was alright. She'd suffered a whole lot more in hell.

Finally, she turned the water off and patted her face with the fluffy white towel, letting her hair loose from the bun. Tossing the towel on the toilet bowl seat, she made her way to her room. Tearing back the cover, she dragged her leather jacket with her, cuddling to it like someone would a blanket. This way, if she ever had to run, she'd have a jacket as well. Plus the knife in the pocket.

After about ten minutes of lying still, her nightmares finally overtook her, and she left them have her.

_She felt the burning pain, the searing heat hitting her skin, pulling at her. Still, she gave not a cry for release or mercy. She'd had worse, much worse. Besides, if she cried out she'd be giving the women what they wanted. Sick and twisted, they tortured her until she would call out and cry, scream and moan, writhe in pain. She would hold out until they got bored or she broke. A twisted and demented game, but one she was good at._

_The hot pokers moved from her skin, and she felt blessed numbness a second before the pain started again. "Give us their names." One of the women commanded._

_She blinked, tearing herself from the Game. This wasn't part of it, this wasn't the script. There was never to be any talking from the women, never from her. Her cries and pleads were the only sounds aloud, except the laughter. What was with the rule breaking?_

"_This can all stop. It can never happen again." A pause, "We can give back the power, a place among us once again. All you are required is to tell us who the Power Rangers are, and how to stop them."_

_So this wasn't a game, she thought. They were fishing for information this time. "No." Her voice was harsh, as if she'd been screaming, though she hadn't been. "I'm happier away from this place. I don't want back, and I want the Power Rangers to win."_

_The women shrieked and screamed and something was pushing into her skin. She felt nothing for a moment, then all the pain she'd ever felt was thrown into her and she screamed and raged._

_Then she woke up._

Trinity sat straight up, eyes wide and tears tracking down her face. God, that nightmare was worse than usual. She was still hearing the shrieks of anger. Then she blinked and looked to her left. Her alarm clock was the one screaming, not the witches. She reached over and slammed the snooze, then stumbled for the off button.

Two hours of sleep. Maybe she shouldn't have gone out last night, or maybe she should have come back before three. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she let the leather jacket drop back to the sweat covered sheets and yanked off her clothes. A second later, she had darted into the bathroom and was under the winter cold water of her shower.

She let loose a string of curses, then finished her hair and shaving. Turning it, she let loose another flurry of curses as the cold air touched her. She grabbed the towel from last night and dried herself, then grabbed her black fluffy robe from the hook and shrugged it on.

Thirty minutes later, her hair was dried and curled around her face. She was decked out in black fair jeans, white and silver twining down the sides. Her shirt was gray, or at least the torso was. The sleeves were cut so that her upper arms were bared, though her shoulders and the rest of her arm was covered. The sleeves, black in color, flared like bell bottoms.

She finished the last touches on her thick black eyeliner, wincing at the raccoon eyes. Her lips were blood red today, her face tanned despite the fact she was trying to look Goth. She wore a single chain around her neck, the locket hidden by her shirt. A ring was on each hand, both of bright silver. The leather gloves that she slipped on covered the metal, though.

Trinity grabbed her combat boots and trotted downstairs, silent as the cat that lay on the throne like chair at the end of the dinning table. "You are soooo spoiled, Shade." She grumbled with humor at the black and white tomcat. Fatter than anything she'd ever seen, the cat was her favorite part of the house. She'd come here and instantly bonded with him.

A bowl clacked on the table, and she set the microwave for a minute and a half. A second later, oatmeal – strawberry and cream – went in the bowl, two packets, and a silver spoon joined the not-yet-ready food. When the microwaves pinged, she poured the half cup of milk and water mix in the bowl and stirred. When it was good and mushy, she grabbed a glass – a purple plastic one only she used – and poured the last half cup of milk into it.

Then she joined Shade at the table, sitting with her back to a wall and her eyes alert. At least until she got the first bite of warm cereal. She moaned, eyes rolling back. This was her favorite type of day. No one got up this early, and it was before sunrise but no longer night. Plus, she loves oatmeal.

"I always wondered how we ran out of oatmeal so fast, since no one eats it for breakfast," Jonas said from the doorway, causing Trinity to start and drop her spoon and the oatmeal.

She glared at him, good mood forgotten. "Well, obviously I ate it, if no one else did." She snapped, "Why are you down here bugging me?"

He shrugged, "I guess I was just curious about what you did every morning at five. Also, I was up and really rather bored."

Which meant that he had been out fighting and had yet to come down from the adrenaline rush. "So you decided to go and annoy me?"

"You know, I might have just been looking for Shade." He snapped, eyes flaring up.

"Oh yeah, I can just see it," Trinity mocked, "You being up at five in the morning, not bothering to sleep, and wandering around to find the cat. Yes, that is just so you."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine, I came down to apologize for yesterday, or rather, this morning. I had no right to say anything, even though we both know I'm right."

She was silent for a second, then smirked, "As 'sorries' go, that one royally sucked. But its accepted anyway." She finished her oatmeal and stood, pouring the last few drops of leftover milk in the bowl before taking it to the sink.

Trinity turned the hot water on, rising out the bowl and getting out the swirly brush. A second later, a clean plastic bowl and cup were put back where they belonged. "How come you clean it? We do run the dishwasher every day, you know. You can just put it in there." Jonas pointed out.

She shrugged, "I have time, and I like to leave things looking nice. Taking care of things, y'know." It wasn't really a question.

He nodded. "So, now that its six and you have two hours before school, what are you going to do? Homework? You're already dressed and ready. "

She shook her head, "Homework's done and I have no new emails. Checked those last night," Then she scowled, knowing he was dragging her out to have a conversation. Sighing, she swallowed the urge to flip him off and leave. "I was thinking on going to a walk, or maybe taking my bike for a ride."

Another nod from him. What? Did she need his approval or something? "I'm not even gonna mention the fact you're grounded."

"You just did." She pointed out, sharing a smirk with him. Then she stopped and glared.

"Well, I'm gonna go back to bed." He paused, "Unless I'm welcome to join you on your walk? I promise not to speak if you don't want me to."

She snickered, she couldn't help it. "Sure. And you're allowed to speak, just not too much, or about annoying things."

She drew on her boots as he vanished inside the hallway. A minute later, as she was re-lacing her boots, he appeared. Before, he'd been in a tank top and sweat pants. Now he was in jeans, a work shirt over his tank top and shoes on his feet, though she doubted he was wearing socks. She marveled for a second on how fast he was when dressing, then realized he must have picked the jeans off the floor, from the wrinkled state of the denim.

Standing, she stretched and gathered Fat Shade in her arms. He gripped her shoulder with his claws as she let go with one hand and opened the door. The morning was chilly, but it was just past summer and therefore didn't require a jacket.

"You seriously gonna take the cat with you?" Jonas asked as he slipped out behind her.

"You seriously gonna keep asking stupid questions?" She retorted, flipping him a smirk to soften the look.

He huffed in fake indignation. "Only if you keep doing things like picking up fat cats and taking them for walks without walking them."

She had to admit, he was kinda funny. "Kings don't walk when they can be carried," She announced, a fake regal tone dripping from her voice.

They both looked at each other and laughed, and Shade, insulted, meowed and jumped from Trinity's arms. He sat his fat butt down and glared up at them, as if he were a little king and they mere peasants. Trinity had to hold back another laugh.

"Dear lord, that catis spoiled." Jonas remarked after a second, shaking his head in mock disappointment at the tomcat.

"Sounds like other people I know." Trinity said flippantly, causing Jonas to look at her strangely. She knew he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Props for him.

They kept on the walk way for another thirty minutes, neither tiring in the rising sun. They didn't really talk, just moved in silence. Trinity didn't mind. It was, in truth, quite nice to have company that didn't quiz her every second of her available time.

The house came into view once more, as they had circled around. It was a big place, with six bedroom and five bathrooms. Everyone had their own room, with one left over for guests. Trent and Kira shared the master bed and bath, and while Trinity and Lauren both had their own rooms, they had to share a bathroom.. Jonas and Chris were right next to each other and had a Jack'n'Jill bathroom, though Jonas usually used the guest bathroom and Lauren usually used both Chris's bed and bath, thank god.

All the rooms faced west, and all had great views of the lake and sunrise. There were two living rooms, an attic that had been converted to a game room, and a breakfast room that was used more often than the formal dinning room. There were two offices, one belonging to Trent, the other having two computers that were always open for the other house members.

Of course, there was also the Power Ranger headquarters under the house, but that had certainly never been listed.

Trinity ducked in the door behind Jonas and made her way to her room without a word, coming back a second later with her purse, her binder and notebook, and huge, hardcover, Cathrine Coulter book in her arms.

"I'm going. Got some stuff to take care of," She said as she ducked her head in the kitchen. It was about seven, maybe ten or fifteen minutes off, which meant Chris, Lauren and either Trent or Kira were all up, not to mention Jonas.

Trent looked at her, as if wondering what she was going to do, before finally nodding. "Be back at four thirty. Remember, you're still grounded."

She just looked at him for a second, then ducked back around. "What a spoiled little girl," She heard Lauren say after a second, but ignored it.

Jonas paused as she passed him, and she merely roll her eyes as he mouthed 'sorry'. Then she was gone, her books in the backseat of the her truck. A silver and chrome Dodge Ram truck that took her about five minutes to get in, since the truck was tall and she was short, but she didn't mind. It roared as it started up and she smiled, backing out blasting five miles too fast down the road.

She really enjoyed days like these.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N : I'm trying to keep the second chapter the same, dammit, and its not _working! _Plus, all the errors I made the last time...

Chapter Two ; Solar Flares

He popped the trap door open and trotted down the stairs, glad he had graduated early from high school. He had enough pressure saving the world; homework would kill him, not to mention the fact he'd be stuck _not _saving the world between eight and four.

"So what's up with you and the Brat?" Chris asked as he lounged on the sofa. The Batcave, as Jonas referred to it, had a huge mega computer, transportation capabilities and state of the art medical equipment. Then they had two ratty arm chairs and a couch from a garage sale. How freaky was that?

"We just went for a walk," He said as he plopped down in his own chair, a deep red that was the best quality – not the mention the biggest – of the two chairs. He refused to sit on the couch with Chris, as he was always afraid he was going to break it.

"Looked like more than a walk to me. I've never seen the Brat smile before." Lauren spoke up from her seat at the computer. Three big screens and five sections on each screen showed every spot in Reefside and the surrounding area.

"You know, I don't think she's really all that bad." He shrugged as Chris gave him a look. Even Lauren turned her head and spun the nice leather chair that _wasn't _his to look at him. "Okay, she's trouble, but she's also going through a rough time."

"No, a rough time is when you break your ribs and sprain your arm and your teachers think your father is abusing you," Chris said. Lauren snickered at that; a well meaning teacher had almost gotten Trent into trouble for 'abusing' Chris before the seventeen year old had finally channeled his Ranger powers and gotten himself healed. The teacher had been rumored to be crazy, thinking Chris was injured when he was in perfect health. "And stop laughing!"

Lauren held up her hands and turned back around the face the main screen. "Can't help it, babe. It was a really funny thing, at least after the fact. You should have seen Trent's fact when Child Services showed up."

"Its a serious thing," Jonas scolded, though Lauren was right; that situation had been funny, or would have been, if it hadn't been so sad. They'd almost lost Lauren in that fight as well, and he hadn't come out unscratched himself.

"Are you guys gonna talk all day, or work?" Trent asked lightly as he descended the stairs. His hair was scruffy, he had a five o'clock shadow, and his white t-shirt was rumpled. All in all, he didn't look too bad.

"Nothing to do." Lauren said for all of them, being the one who was doing to watching. "Where's Kira?"

"She's still sleeping. She'll get up at one and take my shift so I can get some work done." He explained, taking the seat as Lauren moved from it.

The Pink Ranger sauntered over to her boyfriend, leaving Jonas to watch her...back. Dang, but those jeans fit like nothing else. Weren't the Pink Rangers supposed to be the good ones? Because Lauren didn't dress like a good girl. She preferred tank tops and a mini skirts, or butt-hugging jeans if she could. Not to mention her taste in shoes.

"Stop staring at my girlfriend's butt," Chris said right before he pulled her onto the couch. A second later, she was laying next to him, smiling softly.

"Then she shouldn't wear jeans that show it off," Jonas returned, but he did close his eyes and plop his feet on the sturdy wood coffee table. Another garage sale item, though this one actually looked decent and hadn't had to be fixed yet.

"I don't do it on purpose!" Lauren huffed, though she didn't look very insulted. Neither of them had ever been able to figure out if that were true. Maybe she just naturally preferred tighter clothes that happened to show her off, or maybe she chose clothes for that purpose. Either way, it didn't matter.

The alarm went off just as Chris was about to speak. The noise was annoying but expected. Trent was typing madly at the huge keyboard. "A group of Xales are attacking the shopping center on Maria Lenorh, and there's a monster at the Skate Park." Just as he finished, another alarm went off. "And apparently another group of Xales near the forest edge." Which just happened to be in their backyard. "Damn."

Jonas swung to his feet, looking at the screen. "Lauren, you take Maria Lenorh. Get the civvies out, protect what property you can. Chris, you take the Skate Park; its your territory. I'll get the group near the forest edge than back up Chris. Lauren, join Chris and me when you're done."

With that, he took up a middle stance, hand pushing up the sleeve of his work shirt. His hand landed on a bracelet that looked a whole lot like a dragon curling around his wrist. "Red Dragon, Power Up!" The gold bracelet shimmered and began to move, ruby eyes growing as the now life sized dragon surrounded him. It took merely second, but the dragon merged to his skin.

When the red and gold glow died down, the Red Ranger stood in Jonas's place. The uniform was dark red and black. The under armor, he knew, was black, and the over armor, a type of lightweight, synthetic material that was better than regular armor, a dark red. The belt was black, as were the diamonds that trailed up his sides, arms and legs. His boots a darker red, edged in black, and his helmet took the shape of a dragon's over jaws, the black visor between the teeth.

Chris looked almost the same, except the fact he was blue and black instead of red and black. He used the power of the Thunderbird, the bird of storm and rain, and so his helmet was more bird shaped. Lauren was the only true different one, and that was merely because of the small pink and black skirt. She channeled the Griffin, and was a cross between a lion and a bird, which shouldn't have worked but did.

"See ya later, boys." Lauren said, vanishing in a blur of pink. Chris didn't say a thing, just gave a mock salute before his own sapphire swirl took him far from home. Trent smiled at him, though he didn't say 'be careful'. They wouldn't jinx each other like that. Then a ray of ruby surrounded him, and he was gone.

When the world came back into focus, Jonas already had his arm out and was blocking the Xale's attack. A quick punch to the chest, a toss into the air and into a tree, and the magic holding it together dissipated. Machine parts fell to the grass, though Jonas didn't notice as he destroyed another one.

Soon, piles of machine parts lay in groups around him. He froze when he finished the lat one, though. Someone was clapping behind him, the sound fast and excited. He turned and watched his audience step over a pile of part, coming closer. That was when he realized she wasn't human. She was probably the enemy.

She was named from head to two, her skin pink, as if she were sunburned. Her hair was a firey, unreal red that hung to her heels and draped on the ground. As she walk, the grass which touched her feet and hair burned away, leaving brown, yellow and bare spots. Even her eyes were odd. A rich, pupiless red, with no white or even black.

"Good job, Red." She said, her voice high pitched and excited. "I haven't seen a show like that since, well, your ancestors locked me away!"

"Why the hell are you here?" He demanded, ignoring her questions. His voice came out warped and odd, since he was in uniform. Score one for voice-warping technology.

"Not very polite, are you?" She asked, stretching towards the sun, long red nails catching the light. "Well, we can fix that easily." Then all traces of a little girl vanished.

Her arms dropped and she took a fighting stance. Her hair erupted first, the smell of fire and burning grass instant and sickening as it drifted to him. Then her skin turned to flame, and not subtle flame either. Fire licked at the air, burning everything in its path as the woman advanced on him. Even her nails licked with fire. Her eyes were the only thing not on fire, and they seemed to burn anyway.

He couldn't see her mouth, but he heard her. "I'm Flair, one of the Four Sisters of Hell, and an ally of the Emperor of Shadows." He had the sick feeling that her mouth was twisted in a gross smile. "You will not talk to me in such a manner!"

He was unprepared for the blast of fire that hit his armored chest, if only because he was still in shock. He stumbled then yelped. "Dammit, that hurt! I'm morphed! That shouldn't hurt!" It did more than hurt. Even as the dragon's armor, or rather its skin, grew back, he felt the slight burn. Like a light sunburn, but he suspected the next blast wouldn't be so nice.

"Oh? So you truly don't know?" She seemed amused. "Is it true that this new generation has no clue on their powers?"

"Spit it out already!" He snarled, crouched and ready to move as her hands, or rather the fire that was them, grew once more. He had no patience for games or long, drawn-out conversations. He'd rather just fight and kick ass.

She waved a hand at him, as if she were telling him 'okay, okay'. It pissed him off, but he did nothing. "Your power and my power? They come from the same place, darling. You might have the backing of the Dragon, and therefore better defense than me, but in the end..." She was smirking, he could tell, "In the end, the Dragon can't hold out against my power forever, and it must retreat. Then my power will crush yours, and therefore, kill you."

That didn't make much sense. "So your saying that I'm more powerful than you, but you plan to work me down." He said slowly. Maybe this bad girl wasn't that smart after all.

He could feel the puzzlement coming off her. "Well, no...Wait. Yes?" Then she shook her head, "Whatever. I'm just going to kill you now."

With that, she hurled another fire bomb at him. He ducked and it merely grazed his back. It still stung. Usually his suit protected him from this kind of stuff; it seemed that it had limited to no defense properties with this fire witch.

He ducked up, hand going for his laser gun, only to be thrown back as a fire bomb hit him square in the chest. He sucked in a breath, because he'd be damned if that didn't hurt. But something told him, as he watch Flair put both hands up and summon a huge ball of fire, that this was going to hurt worse.

He struggled to move, then closed his eyes when he heard the ball leave her hands. The whoosh, the smell of air burning (thanks to the damn sensitive nose the Dragon power gave him), and he knew it was over. But the blast never hit him. In fact, a cooling shadow fell over him, then into him.

Jonas pushed the thing that was on top of him off, then caught his breath. The outfit was something like his, except it was silver and the helmet had flames instead of teeth or beaks. There was no black, but instead a dark gray to the almost dove color that was the Phoenix armor. The gloves and outline of the boots were a pearl gray color, the suit a dove, the under armor from his view a storm.

The Silver Ranger, the only Ranger not a member of his team and unknown to them all, moaned as if in pain. The blast had probably hit him straight in the back, and it had been twice as powerful as any other blast that had hit him.

Suddenly, a shriek lit the air. Flair seemed to be pissed now, even more so than before. Still, from what he was seeing, the fire was leaking out of her, leaving her mostly human body in view. "DAMMIT!" Then she was gone in a burst of flame, the grass and trees around her scorched.

"What the hell..." The he saw the Silver Ranger lifting himself up on his elbows. "Stay down, dammit! You're hurt!"

"And here I hadn't noticed," Jonas shook his head at the dry response. "Now help me up." It seemed Silver here wasn't one to be down for long.

"Fine, fine." Jonas said, reaching down and gently lifting the Silver Ranger up. One arm went around his lower waist, the other gently lifting the strange ranger's arm around his shoulders. "Since you seem to know everything about us, good and bad guys, wanna tell me why she just vanished? She could have finished us both off."

The Silver Ranger gave them cryptic advice every time he showed up. Warnings of attacks,, and he had been the one to inform them on who their enemy was. Without him, they probably would have died two years ago.

The first year had been easy stuff, then a monster had showed up. They had trouble defeating it, and would have lost against the next one if the Silver Ranger hadn't shown up. They had teamed up and defeated the snake creature, and the Silver Ranger had given them all new morphers, or rather, left them there to find. The next time, he had revealed that the new morphers had new Zords, unlike the old recycled ones from the Dino Thunder Days.

"She used a lot of power, and she wasn't fully charged to begin with." The words came grunted out, but Jonas had no sympathy, or at least none to show. The Silver Ranger had been hurt many times, and every time they tried to help, they got hurt for their efforts. "She reached full power when the sun is at its highest, and until then, is half power. She used that power trying to kill you."

"Its noon right now." He pointed towards the sun.

"But it wasn't when she attacked." The Silver Ranger grunted out weakly. Jonas had to admit the other ranger was right, though he wasn't going to say it. He didn't want a response that would hurt the other man.

They were making their way towards the Silver Phoenix cycle, which looked like his own, though he rarely used it. His own cycle had what looked like leathery wings folded to the side and a roaring dragon. The Phoenix cycle had shimmering silver feathers and a bird's head instead of a dragon. The other weird thing was the fact that there was a silver bag attached to the back and buttons on the handles.

"Can you program it to follow us, or should I come back?" Jonas asked as soon as they were near enough.

It was a mistake. The Silver Ranger stiffened, despite what had to be a serious injury. "I need to leave. Now." The voice was low and harsh, but Jonas didn't care. He wasn't going to let some guy go around hurt because he didn't want his identity known.

"Nope." Jonas gave the other ranger no chance to speak. "I am not letting you go until you see my...friend and get help." Trent was good with hurt people, and this way they could find out who they're mystery friend was.

"No," The protest was becoming weaker. In fact, the Silver Ranger sagged a bit. He heard the guy mutter under his breath. "Stay awake, stay awake."

"Look, why don't you rest..." He trailed off and shook his head, "Okay, never mind. Just...I'm going to have my guy teleport us. If you want the bike to go with you, we can do that, or I can come back for it."

There was silence, then, "How do we take it with us?" Stronger than before, but not strong enough.

"Just touch it, or I can. It all works by touch." He explained, "I'm touching you, so you'll teleport with me. Anything you touch will come with you."

The helmet nodded and a hand reached out, touching the gray leather seat with gentleness. "Then why won't what your standing on go with us?"

Jonas shrugged, "Something about a program that keeps out organic material." Trent had Ethan come in and do it, and not even he was brave enough to question the computer programmer.

He lifted his free wrist to his visor. "Two rangers and a cycle to base," There was nothing, then it crackled again.

"Not even going to ask," It was Kira's voice, which meant he had been out longer than he had thought. Or maybe Kira had woken up early. Not that he wondered long; the ruby light swirled around the two rangers and the bike, then the woods blurred away.


	3. Chapter 3

AN Originally part of Chapter two. I decided, once I hit eight pages, that it would become its own little chapter.

–

Trinity held back a scream of pain as her back was jolted. Dammit, she'd been through torture and hell and back, so why did this hurt? Oh yeah, because it was on her body, not her soul. She hated being human sometimes...Okay, almost all the time. This, of course, was just one the times she hated it most.

She tightened her arm around Jonas's shoulders, wishing to yell at him to move his damn arm from around her waist. She had her entire back burned to slithers by hellfire! Not a good time to play touchy feely! She didn't, though, if only keep secret how bad she was hurt. Rule number one of life : keep weakness a secret...Which just reinforced the fact she was stupid for not fighting him taking her to their 'base'.

The huge sub-basement was still the same, with high technology and crappy furniture in pink, white, yellow, blue and red. The three huge monitors still showed five parts of the city and the area around it, still switched every ten seconds. The huge leather chair was still huge and leather. Nothing had really changed since she'd ventured down here two years ago.

"I see you brought a friend, Red Ranger." Kira said, standing and smiling at Trinity like she were her own child or an old friend...Oops, wait, she was technically the former of those two.

"Jonas," The Red Ranger corrected, and cut Kira off when the former yellow ranger opened her mouth. "He's seen you, he can track us down. 'Sides, he probably knows who we all are anyway."

Trinity held back a laugh at her foster mother's scowl. "He's correct," The male voice coming from her still bothered her, as did being called a 'he'. "You are the former Yellow Dino Ranger, you husband is the former White Dino Ranger. Christopher is the Blue Firebird Ranger and Lauren is the Pink Griffin Ranger." She let amusement leak into her voice, "I even know that you have an adopted daughter named Serenity, a husband who's bee married before, and your two best friends are Ethan and Connor, Blue and Red Dino Rangers respectably."

"And how," Now Kira was pissed, and wasn't trying to hide it, "Do you know all of that?"

She felt Jonas holding his breath under her arm. "Would you believe I'm omniscient?" A slight joke, though she kept her voice straight and flat. Let them squirm for a bit.

Kira was once again cut off by Jonas. "Look, he's hurt. He took a huge blast of fire from some girl named Flair, and need major help. I doubt he can even stand on his own."

"I can stand on my own." Her growl went unheard as Kira whirled into action. The nearest bed, one of three that were actually cots, had its sheets thrown back and a pillow thrown on the end. Kira was rummaging in the drawers of the medical cabinet as Jonas lowered her to a sitting position on the bed.

The former yellow ranger pulled out a kit and swirled to Trinity, waving a hand at the suit. "Unmorph, or I can't help you." It was truly a demand, and Trinity had never gotten along well with orders.

"I'd rather you didn't help me," She snapped, pain making her irritable. "It'll heal fast enough, and you would only make it worse."

"Un. Morph." Kira growled, setting the kit on the bed and popping her hands on her hips. "You help us, we help you."

"You can _help _me by teleporting me to my preferred destination." She snapped back, standing for intimidation factor. Of course, with her luck, it wasn't meant to be. She let loose a gasp of pain and her legs went out from under her once more. Jonas caught and lowered her down.

"You need serious medic help," He said gently, letting loose his morph. "How about a trade? I let my morph go, now you can let your go. No one will harm you, I swear."

She rolled her eyes at him, even though he couldn't see. "How about no? Look, I'll repeat, you can help me by getting me where I want to go."

"And that will happen once we take a look at the burns." Kira interrupted, looking fierce in her frustration. If Trinity were, well, Trinity and not the Silver Ranger, she'd be grounded forever. Good thing she wasn't a teenager at the moment, and was instead a scary superhero. She snorted a laugh at that.

She opened her mouth to snap back when another voice entered the fray. "Jonas! Where the hell were you? We barely defeated the monster without you there!" Lauren tore off her helmet and glare at him, and Trinity realized that at the angle the blond was at, the Silver Ranger wasn't visible.

"Lauren..." Jonas started, making a 'kill' motion with his hand. Lauren ignored him, and to Trinity's amusement, started yelling about irresponsible leaders.

It was Chris who finally got her to shut up, and with a kiss at that. His mouth sealed over hers for a second, and the shrieking stopped. As soon as he went up for air, Lauren started talking again. Did she ever shut up? "What the hell, Chris? I like kissing you, I do, but I was busy yelling at our wonderful leader!" The last bit was sarcastic.

"Do you ever SHUT UP?" Trinity finally yelped, her voice harsher and louder than she intended it to be, since she was 'male' at the moment.

Everyone was silent, then Jonas went into a full blown laugh. Kira was holding back a laugh herself, and Chris seemed to be fighting it, though you couldn't see much, as his helmet was still on. "What..." Lauren started, finally realizing that there was a four active ranger in the room. "Silver Ranger?" It was a bit of shock.

"He took a fire bomb for me, and he's hurt," Jonas finally got out, exasperated. Chris took off his helmet then, watching all of them. "I stumbled upon a new enemy and almost got myself roasted. I got away with minor sunburns, but the Silver Ranger got in between me and a killing blow."

Chris blinked wide eyes at the Phoenix Ranger, then looked back at Kira and Jonas. Lauren was still in a bit of shock. "And he's still awake, and sitting up? Why didn't anyone help him!" Chris had been the medic of the ground, and the one with biggest temper.

"Because he refused it!" Kira snapped, throwing her hands up. Jonas just nodded, looking a little helpless. Guys seemed to do that a lot. They either got mad, or got this look of helplessness on their face. Apparently Jonas was the latter.

Lauren wasn't in shock any longer. "You _refused _medical treatment? **Why?"** Trinity winced. She hadn't been around them in so long, she had forgotten how loud Lauren could get.

"Because I don't need. Also, there's that pesky little thing called secret identity." Sarcasm at its best, she thought lovingly. "Just because you guys made this little club doesn't mean I have to be in it."

"No, you don't, but that doesn't mean we'll let you leave," Trent said from the doorway. Once more with the teenage eye roll. It seemed they were having a house meeting down here, and she bet they didn't even know it. No, she knew they didn't know it.

"You think you can stop me?" This time she didn't try standing, but she did make her voice as growly as it could be. "You, a former ranger, think you could stop me, a ranger who's been active for years?" Okay, two years, but that wasn't the point.

"No, but I think the current Rangers could. Not only are you outnumbered, but you're injured." Trent pointed out as he came down the stairs. Then he turned towards Kira and heaved a sigh, "I was working when the school called. Trinity skipped again."

Trinity watched in amusement as Kira's face flushed in anger. The woman turned to the four rangers watching and smiled a bit. "Normally, I'd hate to leave an injured ranger and guest down here, but I really need to call the school and find out where Trinity is."

Not daughter, not my child, Trinity thought bitterly, then pushed the thoughts aside. Now was not the time. She nodded, "Go ahead. I've heard you have is rough with her, and have by apologies."

Kira hesitated then nodded, following Trent. "Try and heal him!" She called over her shoulder before vanishing. The door shut behind her and there was silence. Then Lauren walk over and sat on the bed next to Trinity, letting the Griffin morph go. Chris did the same, without the sitting.

"You know about Trinity?" At her nod, Lauren continued. Maybe she was just trying to get a safe topic out, but Trinity couldn't help but want to slap the other woman as her mouth moved. "Well, she's worse than you've probably thought. Comes home later, skips school, hangs out with gang members and stoners. Probably a drugie, too, come to think of it."

Jonas winced and stepped in, "Enough, Lauren. I doubt he wants to hear an over dramatized story of a kid who needs help." Trinity was about to thank him until the last part came up.

Now she wanted to hear more of what they thought of her. Maybe, or rather really was, masochistic, but she wanted to know, dammit it all. "No, no, I want to hear more. Tell about the trouble this girl gets into."

Chris smiled and sat on a bed across from her. "We call her the Brat, Lauren and I, for good reason. Maybe she's not so bad, or wouldn't be if she didn't act superior all the time." He shook his head, "Take, for example, yesterday night, or rather, early this morning. She come home from school for about three seconds, rides off on her motorcycle, which she isn't supposed to be using until she's eighteen, and tells no one. Finally, at three in the morning, she comes sneaking back into the house."

She had been busy saving a young couple's life. Xales had attacked the parking hangout where more kids made out. She didn't speak, though, as Lauren butted it. "Okay, so Kira and Trent stayed up the whole night, or at least Kira did, waiting for her. Trinity comes in, and what does she do? Start a fight!" Lauren snorted. "I mean, jeez, Trent and Kira give her everything, including a car and a motorcycle for an early eighteenth b-day present, and she treats them like dirt." Another head shake from Lauren. "God, how I'd love smack that girl one."

There was silence, and Trinity was about to offer her the chance at a fight when Jonas spoke. "On the other hand, she's spend only two years with us, and the rest on the streets. I figure, hey, she's gonna have issues." He shrugged, "She's really not that bad, just not very trusting. Hell, neither was I when I first came here. The foster system sucked, and I'm betting her life was worse." He blinked and took a breath, "I figure she's doing the best she can at the moment."

Trinity was about to speak when Chris started up again. "And maybe he's right, but somehow, I don't think so. I mean, I've seen kids who've been through worse down at the shelter," He volunteered at the street shelter sometimes, "And all of them are nicer than her. Hell, at least they say hi."

Lauren was about to comment when Trinity finally got out what she had been wanting to say, "I agree with Jonas, at least a bit." There was silence and she kept on going, "Maybe she really does appreciate what Kira and Trent are doing, but hey, like you said, the foster system is tough, the streets even worse. She's probably never had a thing come free in her life, and is wondering what she's gonna have to pay, give up, for this."

There was quite for a second, and that was when she noticed Trent and Kira at the top of the steps. With the voice magnifier and warp system, they had to have heard what they were all saying if they had been there long. She hoped they hadn't been. It would really suck if they started going all parent-y now.

Kira came down and cleared her throat. "They, um, well, she ditched her third period class and her truck is gone." It was actually parked in a lot nearby, but they didn't know that. "They think she'll skip the rest of the day and come straight home later."

"I'm gonna go back to work," Trent said after a second, then vanished through the doorway again. Jonas dropped to the bed that Chris hadn't taken, and Lauren moved to sit beside her boyfriend and rest her head against his shoulder.

"Well, I for one am gone." Trinity said, standing. Her rapid healing had already knotted the broken skin together, and she could almost feel new skin building. Of course, even with rapid healing, it would take about three days to heal completely, and then at the least.

"Oh no you don't!" Kira said, followed by Lauren and Chris's, "No way!" and "Like hell!" She felt Chris grab her arm, but quickly broke the hold.

"Look, I channel the power of the Phoenix, which has healing properties. Its already mostly healed," She gave a little white lie. She stood up and stretched, ignoring the searing pain. It wasn't nearly as bad anymore...Okay, it was bad, but not mind-numbing or pass out bad.

"He's right," Jonas's agreement started everyone, including her. "And we do have to let him leave." He held a finger up at everyone, and she suddenly realized why is was leader. He had the aura to make people shut up and listen, "He will come by tomorrow and prove that he's not in mind numbing pain."

Everyone stared at her, waiting. "Fine," She grudgingly agree. "But I leave now."

Jonas nodded, and the others sighed in relief. "Yeah. There's a tunnel opening; if you feel up to it, you can use the bike."

"But..." Kira was cut off when Lauren blocked the older woman's mouth with her hand. "Nope," The pink ranger said, "That's the best we're getting. We'd best be happy." Chris didn't say a thing, but Trinity could tell the two agreed.

"See ya." She gave them a little wave as she made herself move to her bike. She winced as she swung a leg over, glad that no one could see it.

A second later, the tunnel opened and she was gone, a light roaring from her bike the only thing that was heard.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N : More of human Trinity. More review...Oh, wait, that second one was just my imagination.

Chapter Four: Found Out

She left her truck drift into the garage at six fifteen, then shut it off and leaned back into her lovely black leather seat. She really didn't want to go it, but eventually, she'd have to. It wasn't like she had a bed or shower anywhere else in the city. Sighing at the depressing thought of going a day without a shower, she pushed open the door and slithered out.

Her combat boots made no noise as she walked across the cement garage and slowly pushed open the door to the house. So far, she didn't hear anything, or at least nothing near her. Then a soft padding alerted her to Fat Shade, who lumbered around the corner to plop on his butt and meow up at her. He usually greeted her, whether it was midnight or noon, day or night. The only one that did.

"You know, I was trying to be quite and stealthy." She said mildly to the cat, picking his up and draping him over her shoulder. She turned her head and buried it in his thick, long fur, grateful that someone had used scented shampoo when washing him today (he was probably the only cat in history who liked bathes).

"The thing about people is that they aren't nearly as stealthy as they think they are," Trent said, leaning against the doorway and watching her. He hadn't been there a second ago, and if she didn't know about the lovely superpowers, she would have been freaked.

"The thing about me is I'm not most people." She snarked back, smirking when his eyes narrowed. Good. She wanted them upset. She wanted to blame them for what Chris, Lauren and Jonas thought. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, but she didn't give a shit.

She was slightly surprised when he sighed in defeat, shoulder slightly slumping. "Look, I was just coming to tell you that Kira made dinner," Which meant he had, and that was a surprise too. "We wanted the entire family sitting together."

Trinity nodded slowly. "Can I go change and wash up first?" And pop her meds. "I've been wearing this nasty makeup all day."

Trent gave the same tentative nod, and Trinity shot up the stairs, her boots clomping on the wooden staircase. She quickly stripped and put on a long, flowing black skirt and a silver tank top, washing the makeup off her face in quick strokes. In all, it took about five minutes, though she did pause and go slowly every so often. Damn Flair; that burn hurt, and a lot worse than she would have thought. Apparently, the Phoenix suit helped her control pain as well as gave her height, strength, and speed.

She swiped a Motrin bottle filled with different types of pain killers from her dresser and took two heavy Tylenols out of the container. She kept a whole bunch, but nothing heavier than Tyelon if she wasn't planning on sleeping or doing something easy. Placing it back in its hidden spot, she tucked the pills in the palm of her hand and made her way downstairs.

The breakfast room was empty, which gave her pause, at least until Trent stuck his head from around the kitchen. "We're eating in the formal dinning room," Then he paused and looked at her, "I didn't even know you owned a skirt. It looks nice."

She shrugged, flushing red as she joined him in the kitchen. It connected to both the dinning room and the breakfast room. "I like skirts. They're room, elegant. Pretty." She paused and turned instead of opening the dinning room door. Trent would make at least three tips to get all the stuff. "I'll help you serve."

"No, no, its fine." He looked completely lost, as if he weren't used to this side of her. Very few were. Those few at the homeless shelter, the kids she watched over when their mother was in the hospital. They saw this side of her, and she vowed to make sure her 'family' saw more of it. She would stop being so bitchy.

"No, I'm serious. I want to help." She leaned a hip against the counter as she spoke, "I've been mooching, and if I help, I won't feel so bad about it." It was true, and also a way of delaying her entrance into the dinning room and facing Kira. God, the woman would be soooo mad at her for skipping.

He was silent, then, "Not mooching, but sure, you can help." He motioned to a tub of corn and the green beans. "One goers to the left, one goes to the right. There are heat pads out there, but don't use those. That's for the chicken and shrimp."

She nodded, picking them both up. Once again, though, she paused and turned her ice blue eyes to him. "What's the occasion?" She said softly, "Because I have a feeling that I'm missing it."

.

He smiled at her, just as softly as she spoke. "Today is the day, two years ago, when you came to live with us," He stated, tilting his head to the side, "Think of it as an anniversary."

"Oh," was all she could say. She'd known, of course, but hadn't seen it as anything big. Turning, she finally entered the dinning room. Kira was at one end of the table already, sitting right of the head, across from where Trent would sit, Jonas having a seat one down and across from her. Chris and Lauren were probably still getting home from work.

"Hey," They chorused, then Kira looked at her strangely. "You look nice tonight. The skirt is a nice touch."

She put the green beans by Jonas and the corn across from him. Then she flashed a slight smile at Kira, "I like skirts. Now I've gotta go get the other stuff." She was gone before anyone said another thing.

"Why is my skirt freaking everyone out?" She muttered as she entered the kitchen again. She had, like, five of them, all long and wispy, two black, two silver, and one a faded mix between the three.

"Because you're always wearing baggy, dark clothing." Trent said, overhearing her. He was taking the chicken out of the oven. "I respect the fashion, but you really do look nicer in lighter, more fitting clothes."

"You know, I'd always thought it was Kira who would be telling me this stuff," She teased, though it was with a smile and a nice tone instead of her usual biting one. "But yeah, you're right. Still, I can't very well defend myself or run in this skirt, can I?"

He paused and looked at her, though it was different from the usual Look. "You know, you don't always have to fight or run. We can do that for you."

She snorted, "I have no doubt that two former Power Rangers and three out of the four current ones could indeed protect me, but what if I'm not here?"

There was no shock at the fact she knew. Trent had always known Trinity was a smart girl, smarter than anyone had guessed, and given the fact they lived on the base...Well, it had only been a matter of time. "You might have a point." Then he motioned at the shrimp tray. "Want to take that out for me? And the break basket? Then you can have a seat. I'll only have the kitchen left."

Trinity nodded and took the basket and tray, nudging the door open with her hip. She held back a cry of pain as the door brushed against her back, and set the tray between Chris and Lauren, the latter sitting to the right of Kira. The bread basket went to the head of the table, where Trinity noticed there was no plate or glass.

She took her spot across from Jonas, resisting the urge to squirm in silence. No one spoke for a full seven seconds, then Jonas reached out to grab a roll. She reacted without thinking, slamming the flat of her butter knife on the back of his hand. He jerked back and she pointed the knife at him. "Not until everyone is seated!" She scolded with a glare.

Everyone sorta stared at her, and she felt her defense mechanism rear its head. "I know my manners, okay?"

"How?" Lauren blurted, then flushed red, "I mean, you said you lived on the streets and totally alone until you were fifteen, when you came to live with us. How would you pick up manners that we haven't taught you?"

Jonas groaned and dropped his head to his hands, Kira looked ready to kill the pink ranger, and Chris was tense, as if waiting to break up a fight. To everyone's surprise, though, Trinity laughed and actually answered. "There's a long story behind that, if you really want to hear it."

Chris nodded, and Lauren smiled tentatively. "Actually, I would."

Trent choose that moment to walk to without the chicken, "In fact, you could probably tell it while I'm waiting for the chicken to finish up." He took his seat across from Kira, turning a bit to watch the youngest member of the house.

"Well, see, when I was seven, I had this friend, Jackie. A real spitfire, that one, and three years older than me. Taught me how to fight, and even better than that, he made me one of his family. His mum, Mary, if that was her real name, had only one biological daughter, a two year old named Lacy, but she adopted an older girl named Trissy and Jackie himself." She shook her head, smiling to herself. "And she sorta adopted me, though this was all unofficial."

She stopped to take a drink, thinking how to go on. "Every night, before she went to work, she would cook this really nice meal, or it was nice to us. She'd sit us down, all of us, even little Laci, and proceed to teach us how to eat properly," She shook her head, smiling a bit. "She came from a proper Southern family, though her father had kicked her out for being pregnant. She always said she'd be damned if anyone living with her was gonna act like a monster." She smiled and took another drink of water. "So, for those lovely nine months, I learned how to eat, read, write and do math."

"What happened to her?" Kira asked softly. She hadn't read this in the file, but she bet there was a whole lot not stored in that small manila envelope.

"What?" Trinity focused again. "Oh. One of her john's killed her, and Laci was taken into foster care. Jackie, Trissy and I split before then."

Chris focused on that one word. "'John'? Like a prostitute?" The kids he worked with down at the shelter had taught him what a few of the words meant.

"Yeah, she was a whore, and a cheap one at that," Trinity said, her voice harsh. "But, you know what I've come to realize? Some of the best people are the ones who you'd least expect, and the ones you expect to be nice? Well, they're shitheads and losers."

"Amen to that!" Jonas said, smirking as he lifted his glass to toast her. He'd been in the foster system since he was a child, until he was thirteen and adopted by Trent and Kira. He knew she was telling the truth.

"Jeez, so cynical, the both of you." Lauren muttered, just as the timer went off. Trent stood up with a 'be right back'. "Ever find your friend again?" Lauren finished the comment with a question.

"Jackie? Naw." She shrugged. "One room, one day." A saying she had picked up from a House episode that she had really, really liked. No one seemed to get it, except Chris, of course. Doctor Boy knew all.

"House, right?" Chris asked, smiling a bit.

"Yep. Always loved that episode. Thought it had a great lesson and moral to it." She said, then closed her mouth when Trent came back in, the chicken pot in his hands. It smelled good even from here, but the shrimp, she would bet, would be better.

Trent sat down and motioned for everyone to dig in. The moment Kira's spoon touched the corn, however, a beep sounded from everyone at the table, except Trinity. Everyone froze, though, and glances were exchanged. Then Trent spoke, "She knows." Those simple words caused everyone to look at her.

"Not hard. I live above the base," She said, then waved her hands. "Go. The city needs you, as clichéd as that sounds."

"Thanks," Kira said, breathing a sigh of relief as the five of them stood and made their way to the basement, and through there, sub-basement.

Then Jonas, the last of the group, paused and looked back at her. "You coming?"

She blinked and stood, moving to follow him. "Sure. Not like I haven't seen it anyway." Once again, the whole sneaking thing and even last night.

"Not even gonna ask." He muttered as he descended the steps. They both approached the monitor, and every person looking sucked in a breath. "An entire army." He breathed.

Xales and at least four monsters were wreaking havoc in the city center, though it was one person that drew Trinity's eyes. The woman was standing behind the army, arms crossed over her bare chest. Shimmering white and silver hair fell the stone of the plaza, and her skin seemed to flicker in and out of focus. Trinity knew the trick, just as she knew the woman, just as she had known Flair. Illusion, mistress of fear and fakes and the most dangerous and eldest of the sisters.

"We need to get there fast," Jonas muttered, and the three rangers stepped back, shouting out their power up call. A second later, pink, blue and red flashes of light flared around them, then appeared on the screen.

"Trinity, go to your room." Kira said as she watched. "I don't want you to see this."

For once, the seventeen year old didn't argue. She couldn't do much down here, anyway. She bolted up the stairs, ignoring the strange look that Trent gave her. She didn't have time for this; if Illusion was out and about, life was about to get very, very bad for the Rangers.


	5. Chapter 5

A;N : Sorry! I haven't updated in a long, long time. Reasons? My muse died. Sorry, so sorry. Ideas, though, would totally help me!~

Chapter 5 ; Illusions

She kept watch from the rooftop nearest to the fight, ice blue eyes fixed on the enemy. The women, the enemy, was wearing a flowing white gown, equally white hair floating around her as her white eyes stared in front of her. Even her damn skin was pearly white, the white of paper, which was still damn creepy. The witch, or Sister of Hell, as she called herself, had no speck of color on her, in her. Freak-y.

Trinity pushed her ponytail out of her face once more, wincing as Lauren was thrown aside, landing in the rubble of a building. She was almost glad she wasn't in the fight, then felt immediately bad afterwards. Not only was she being selfish, she thought as the pink ranger picked herself up, but she was being weak. The wound to her back was the reason she wasn't fighting. Her Phoenix powers only healed mortal wounds, so once the burn was no longer life threatening, the healing had slowed. Still painful, and totally her fault.

Easing down to a lower position, she put her chin on the edge of the room and watched her rangers fight. Chris was evacuating the civilians while Lauren kept the Xales back, while Jonas was fighting the 'main baddie', as Trinity had nicknamed them. They worked well as a team, those three, she told herself, as she always did. They didn't need another ranger, another teammate. Hell, they barely needed Trent or Kira. They certainly didn't need the silver ranger butting into their fight.

Still, she winced and hated herself each time one of the three took a hit, as she always did. In fact, that self-hatred and the feeling of worthlessness was what had driven her to help them in the first place. She'd seen Jonas battle, on his own and without a team, and knew that while she could have helped him, she shouldn't. She'd tossed and turned all night long, and hadn't slept for days after having seen him fly into the wall. The next time she'd seen him in a fight, she'd helped, and the feeling of hate had vanished.

The process of hating herself and helping the rangers hadn't changed as slowly, ever so slowly, the other two had joined the team. Kira and Trent had joined up, as well, and soon, she wasn't needed as much. Nothing changed, though. She still fought the urge to morph every time they were in a fight, and hated herself afterwards for not helping, no matter if they were fighting Xales or their 'main baddie'.

She fought the urge to join the fight, at least until she saw Jonas thrown backwards, tumbling into Lauren. Illusion giggled from her spot behind the monster, watching with gleeful eyes. It was just one thing to many, to see the evil witch happy and her rangers in trouble.

Dropping to her elbows, Trinity let the Phoenix spirit take control, the lightweight metal pouring over her, the black visor improving her vision. Second later, she surged to her feel, thinking what a wonderful thing the suit was. She was now taller, had a deeper voice, and looked like a man – best of all, though, the pain was shoved to the back of her mind, her tolerance improved by the direct contact with the Power.

She planted her silver gloves on the edge of the roof and vaulted off, wincing at the impact but not pausing in her run. She gained enough momentum, then jumped, hands hitting the ground as she pushed off and into a somersault over the pink ranger and two Xales. She landed and fell into a sweep almost immediately, knocking a single Xale to the ground. She jammed her fist against the thing's forehead, hitting the magic seal with deadly accuracy as it dissipated into black gas.

"Thanks," Chris gasped out as he finished off two more, "Sure you can fight, though?"

For a second, she was confused. Hadn't she always been ready to fight with them? Then she realized, as she ducked and kicked out, that the question was about her back. "I'm fine. Not even a hint of pain." The lies just kept falling, didn't they?

"Liar." A stated fact that told her she wasn't nearly as good a liar as she thought. That, or Chris was getting better at reading the silver ranger than she'd guessed. "But hey, whatever. I'm not gonna turn you down, not with these odds."

She moved a step towards him, turning so that they were back to back, almost touching. Then she commenced to question him, ignoring his smart ass comments. "Do you want help with evacuating the people?" They ducked as one, moving as a well oiled machine that they really weren't. "In fact, I can get the people out if you watch my back. You seem to be having anger issues."

Chris moved towards her, and she ducked and dodged, letting him destroy the Xale that had moved to attack her. "Yeah, that works." Another punch from the blue ranger, "'Cause I'm a little pissy right now. Interrupted a family dinner."

"I'd love to say I know how that feels, but really," She shoved a foot solider towards him, as they made their way towards a group of women, some of whom were screaming. "I don't."

Chris took a while in answering as she darted in front of him, letting him take care of the soldiers at her back as she destroyed the masses at her front. God, would the army ever slow down? "You know," He spoke as he destroy another one, "You could totally eat with us. Then again, you'd have to get rid of the suit, so maybe not." A joke to you, she thought bitterly, but if only you knew.

"Once again, I shall point out, that just because you made the club, doesn't mean I have to join it." She snarled, ducking and letting him take care of the Xale that had punched at her.

They didn't have much time to talk, after that, as Chris kept at her back and she helped the women. They moved forward slowly, both rangers making sure the women, three of them, were sandwiched between them. The women with the baby, of course, was in the middle, and the other two were pressed extremely close.

Their destination was the store, where the women would enter then exit through the back. There wasn't much the rangers could do after the civilians got into the store, but police were fast, and already had four ambulances stationed behind the building. When the women left the store, they would be shuffled onto one of the huge vehicles and moved out of the area.

Trinity yelped as three Xales hit her straight on. Chris yelled something out as two more hit her, and the young silver ranger realized something was wrong. She threw two off her, head butting another into mist, and kicking out into the other one back into the crowd. The last one got the worst, as a fist slammed on the forehead, and mist took the soldier's place. Soon, three other Xales followed.

"_My baby!" _The scream cut through the quickly shrinking army. "_Where's my baby!" _

Trinity swung around, watching as Chris slammed to a halt. The third woman, the woman with the baby, was standing behind the other two. The bundle that was in her arms fell to the ground, the blankets empty and horrible blue in the river of blood. The women herself looked on the edge of consciousness, blood dripping from her forehead and into the soft cotton.

"Get them to safety!" She yelled at Chris, ignoring whatever he had yelled after her as she took off past him. She didn't bother to look behind her and see if he followed her orders. When innocents were in danger, he would do whatever it took to get them to safety.

Focusing her power, she spread her web over the clearing, looking for someone that wasn't one of the women or a monster. She found the three women, their fear and horror touching her heart. Then she felt Illusion, anger and arrogance and hatred in every pour, poisoning the silver ranger's mind. She couldn't feel any of the rangers, since they were shielded, or the Xales, since they were just emotionless creations, but...

Trinity veered off into the right, dodging and ducking and not pausing to take care of the creatures as she passed Lauren. She caught sight of Illusion before her, the Xale with the baby closing in on the Hell Witch. The fact that the baby had been stolen meant one thing.

Illusion was looking for a pure soul to feed from.

The silver ranger poured on the speed, becoming a silver blur as she stretched her power. She pulled from her life force to add magic to her steps, and a minute later, she grabbed the Xale holding the baby. She pulled and twisted at the same time, turning the Xale to face her as she threw it to the ground. She yanked the screaming child from the creature's arms, thanking God that luck was on her side; if she'd been even one second off the timing, the baby would have been crushed. Better than damned to hell without a soul, but still...

"NO!" The shriek came from Illusion, who looked thunderous at her meal and power upgrade being stolen. "_Damn you all!" _Then, with those words, a flash of white filled the clearing. A millisecond later, the clearing was back in focus, but most of the Xales, the monster and Illusion herself? All gone.

Trinity fell back, kicking out only when needed, as the rangers finished up the dozen or so Xales left in the area. She cradled the child in her left arm, using her right to twirl a pole she had found. Not as good as her sword, but after the magic she'd just wasted, she couldn't afford to summon the Phoenix Sword.

It took, at the most, twenty minutes, and the plaza was cleared. Four people were left in the clearing, and the baby, making five. Stepping forward, the silver ranger made her way towards the pink and blue rangers. She wasted no time as she spoke, "Where's the child's mother?"

There was a second of silence, then Lauren spoke softly. "Dead. The other two women tried to run after her, but..." The visor moved downward, as if Lauren were looking at the ground.

"I couldn't get to them in time," Chris finished up as Jonas approached. "I'm sorry."

Jonas spoke before she could, being the leader that he was. "Not your fault. A mother is unlikely to give up her child, especially if she fears that her baby is in danger." He reached out and gripped both his friends' shoulders. Then he looked at the silver ranger, and she reminded herself that he read minds and to keep her shields up. "Thank for saving him, but..."

"What am I going to do with him?" She finished the question for him. "Easily answered. He needs to be checked by a medic, and he's been targeted by Illusion. She's not going to give up her prey, at least not now that she knows the baby is important to us." A shrug. "So I'm going to take the child somewhere safe, where he can't be harmed."

"What about his family, though?" Lauren voiced the question, and Trinity rolled her eyes behind her visor. Yeah, because parents really mattered in this situation.

"Would you rather his family be slaughtered so that the eldest Hell Witch could suck out the child's soul? Would you damn this child to a soulless, hellish existence merely so that he could stay with his family and you can excuse yourself from the law?" Her voice was even, but everyone felt the anger in the air.

Jonas held up his hand, moving it from Chris's shoulder. "I'm not going to argue on this, since you're entirely correct." Then he stepped forward and touched the baby's forehead. "Why don't you come to headquarters tomorrow and explain everything about Illusion? Or, if you want, we can meet in the forest, behind the house I'm living at?"

Trinity paused, thinking. Her secret was nothing compared to the info that she could give them on Illusion. "I'll see you tomorrow. In the basement." Stepped back, the silver ranger inclined her head and moved away. A second later, a silver blur left the ground and touched the rooftop, and the rangers watched as the child and the silver ranger vanished.

"Kira? Trent?" Trinity's voice filled the Batcave, worry etched into her face. "Oh! You guys are home already?"

Jonas couldn't help but wonder what had changed. Just yesterday, she'd been bitter and harsh, hating the world. Now, she looked nervous and worried for them, as if the team was a big part of her life. "Yeah, we're back. Nothing much happened."

"Cool." She said after a second, trotting down the steps. "Where's the other one?"

"Other what?" Lauren asked as she finished tightening the white bandage around Chris's bicep. He winced and kissed her, ignoring the youngest girl in the room.

"The other ranger." Trinity's tone implied the Lauren was being silly, or stupid, or, hell, both. "You know, tall, silver and really annoyed?" She asked, her voice exasperated.

"There was silence for a second. "You've seen him? The silver ranger?" Jonas finally asked, sitting up straighter, ignoring his strained muscles. He focused all his attention on her, though he held back his gift. Sure, he wanted to know, but not bad enough to invade the girl's privacy.

"Yeah," Trinity spoke slowly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "He was in the living room, with a, um, baby. And I'm not lying, I swear. He had a baby, and he told me to go get Trent or Kira while he took care of his injuries.

Jonas was out the door in a flash, rushing past the tiny teenager as he thundered up the steps. He felt his team at his back as he slammed him hand into the door frame of the living room and watched the blue bundle on the couch. A white piece of paper was on the coffee table, along with a pen that had been thrown down, or so it looked like.

Trinity pushed past him after a second, "God, could you be any more of a spas?" She snarled, sounding like the Trinity that everyone knew and really rather hated.

He didn't answer as he moved to stand over the coffee table, flipping over the paper. The writing was large and sloppy, in cursive, as if the ranger had been in a hurry or not used to writing.

_Rangers – I'm leaving the child with you, your mentors and that girl. I'll be by tomorrow, if at all possible. _

"Straight and to the point," Chris remarked dryly from over his leader's shoulder. "Defiantly the silver ranger."

Trinity cleared her throat, prompting the three other people in the room to look at her. She was perched on the couch arm, an eyebrow raised in their direction. "First off, is anyone going to go and get Trent? And secondly, I need an explanation."

"I'm right here, Trinity." Trent's voice came from the doorway. "And I need an explanation, as well." He swept into the room and picked up the baby, looking down at the boy with soft eyes. "I leave to go to the bathroom for a minute, and one of you comes back with a baby." He muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"The silver ranger brought him here," Jonas explained, "His mother was killed in the attack, and apparently, our secretive silver ranger believes that the enemy is now hunting for the child. So, of course, he brought the child to the safest place."

"Well, I guess that makes sense." Trent still seemed a little bemused, but everyone knew he wasn't about to turn away a child. Too softhearted.

"Look, if no one is going to explain this silver ranger this to me, I'm going to bed. I've got a massive headache and school tomorrow." Trinity moved off the couch and walked away, and Jonas couldn't help but think that all the girl ever did was walk away. Then he shook his head and got back on topic.

"The silver ranger said he'd be by tomorrow to explain what's going on," Jonas added, standing and stretching. "Kira need any help in the shop?"

"She's fine." Trent assured, "You three can have the night off, at least from work." He stood, holding the baby to his chest. "I'm going to go introduce his to his new mommy, okay?"

They watched him walk out, then Chris sighed. "Its really sad that I have no idea what to do on a night off."

Jonas looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised at the dark haired man. "Dude. You have one the hottest females on earth on your arm, and you can't think of one thing to do?" He switched his gaze to Lauren, a teasing light in his eyes. "Wanna ditch blue boy and come home with me?"

Lauren snorted, sounding very unlike the lady she pretended to be. "Hell no," She ran her hand through Chris's hair. "Not only do I love little blue boy," she rolled into his arms and kissed him in demonstration, "but wouldn't Misty be kinda pissed?"

Misty was Lauren's friend, former best friend before the rangers came and Chris took that spot. Jonas had been going out with her (read, sleeping with) for a while now. She was a curvy, soft brunette with a fiery tongue and sharp temper, always looking for an argument or a chance to snarl at someone. She was still in high school, but Jonas didn't care. She was eighteen, a legal adult, and mature beyond her years, both physically and mentally.

"Damn right she would be, and I don't doubt that Chris would pitch a fit, too." Slapping a hand to his chest, Jonas sighed dramatically, "Fate, oh horrible fate, to let me wish from afar."

Lauren shook with giggles, but Chris, used to his humor, just snorted. "Why don't you call up Misty and we can have a cute double date?"

Jonas shrugged, "Sure." He moved then vaulted over the couch, grabbing the phone and dialing. Damn, but it would be good to have a night off.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N : I know, its been a while, and this is a freakishly short chapter. In fact, this is sort of filler, so that the people reading don't, you know, quite because of lack of updates. If they haven't already.

Chapter 6; Normal Days

Trinity was up at her usual time, dressed in black tube top and low slung faded blue jeans, which wasn't usual. The black belt with the silver skull _was_ normal, and the large silver and black bangles just shouted her name. A cross necklace matched the earrings, which were visible only because her dark red hair was up in a ponytail. Even her makeup was different; she wore little mascara, no eyeliner and just a hint of lipstick, all very non plastic.

Carrying her boots, with one half inch heel, she made her way into the kitchen, yawning as she dropped them lightly by the doorway. Shade looked up from his bed, which was on Lauren's table mat and gave a single purr before falling back asleep. "Nice, cat." Trinity drawled at the cat as she put the water in the microwave.

She put up the clean dishes as she waited for the timer to go off, pulling out a bowl and a spoon for herself. Dumping the oatmeal into the bowl, she turned to the side just as the microwave beeped. With a flourish, she threw the door opened and poured the water into the bowl, then kicked the microwave shut. Five seconds later, and she was sprawled in a chair, stealing Lauren's magazine and flipping through it while she ate.

"Never pegged you as a _Seventeen _lover," a female voice remarked from the hallway. Trinity paused, spoon still stuck in her mouth, and turned her head to blink at Misty. The amazonian brunette had her arms crossed, head cocked to the left as she regarded the red head.

She swallowed and turned around to continue her page turning and eating, her only reply being, "You also know nothing about me, and yes, I'm excluding the rumors as 'knowing about me'."

"Only because you never speak to me," Misty retorted, smiling a shark's smile. The woman liked to insult people, she liked to argue and bitch at people, and delighted having people around to snark right back. "Or, you know, anyone."

"Only because there's no one around worth talking to," Trinity said calmly, tossing a smirk over her shoulder. "Unless, of course, you think you're worth talking to?"

Misty just laughed at her and chose to not make a come back. "Anything good to eat around here, or is there only crap-tastic oatmeal?" She asked, voice full of fake scorn.

"We keep the apples around here for you health nuts," Trinity shot back, twisting around to point towards a cupboard. "And cereal, if you'd rather clog your arteries."

"Rather choke my arteries, thank you very much." The brown haired student pulled out the chocolate cereal, giving the box a slight shake. "Besides, I have braces, and apples will break the brackets off, or so I've been told."

Trinity finished her last bite of oatmeal, then stood and put the bowl in the sink, letting the water run. She jumped up onto the counter as the water warmed, keeping her eyes on Misty. "'s it true that girls with braces kiss better?" Trinity asked after a second, being her usual smart-ass self.

Misty, as always, gave as good as she got, "Why don't you give it a try and tell me?" The brunette's voice was pitched low, husky, and Trinity felt a shiver go through her.

"No, thanks very much. I'm on the straight and narrow, princess." Trinity tossed back, stretching and climbing down from the counter top. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things that need to be taken care of."

"Oh? And what needs immediate attending to this early in the god forsaken morning?" Misty mused aloud, watching Trinity with sharp eyes.

"My business, not yours." Trinity shot back, then placed the clean bowl back in the cupboard and vanished from the kitchen. She had things to do, places to be, and none of the things on her list included chatting it up with Jonas' fuck buddy.

Jonas rolled over in his bed, arm reaching out to grab onto his partner. The movement was closely followed by a groan as he realized Misty had left his bed. Goddammit, he'd forgot that she had school today. Hell, he'd forgotten she was still a student.

Growling to himself, he buried his face in the warm pillow, just for a few seconds. Then he let go and rolled out of bed, yelping as his feet hit the cold wood paneling. He moved as humanly possible to get to the rug in the center of his room, then worked just as swiftly to yank his jeans and a t-shirt on. Why was it so damned cold in this house?

He heaved in a huge breath and hesitantly put the ball of his foot on the wood once more, and winced. Swallowing the discomfort – he hated the cold – he made his way across his room and vanished into his bathroom. Then he stopped short and glared at the closed door, the shower going behind it. That wasn't what annoyed him, though. It was the other noises that had annoyed and alerted him to the fact that Lauren and Chris were, once again, in his bathroom.

With a sigh, he pivoted and headed back to his room. Today promised to be a long day.

Kira smoothed her hand down the now sleeping baby. Her eyes closed in relief and she leaned back against the couch, hoping that the child would sleep for a while. The baby boy had been screaming at regular intervals all night, and she and Trent had switched off every so often. Right now, Trent was catching his three hours of rest, and they would switch again.

She remembered holding Lauren and Chris both, but she hadn't been their mother. She hadn't had to change them, feed them, hold them. All she had to do was love them and give them the guidance they needed while they were rangers, and that was a lot less than what a mother had to do. God, she couldn't imagine how Trent, Rissa, Connor and Krista had handled it.

Then again, she thought as she looked at the sleeping child, maybe it was all worth it, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note : And this is being typed up right after Chapter Six...a lot longer, I hope.

You know, I'm not sure that I like where this plot is going. I like my characters, I don't want them to die... Stupid plot bunnies...

Chapter Seven;

Trinity crossed her arms and huffed out a sigh, wondering where the hell everyone was. She knew Chris and Lauren hadn't gotten back from a date, Jonas was somewhere else, and Misty was in the house babysitting the little tyke. Trent and Kira, though, had vanished, which sucked. The silver ranger had planned it all perfectly, so that only Trent and Kira could hear the conversation, but her plans were obviously not fool-proof. Hell, her plans sucked.

She leaned her head back against the wall with a little too much forced, evidence by the crack that filled the room, though she didn't feel anything under the helmet. She was in ranger form once more, though she hated wasting the power on trivial things. Still, the rangers needed info, and she needed to keep her secret.

Well, she didn't _need _to, but once the story was out...no, better to keep Trinity and the Phoenix ranger two separate entities. That way, they could loath the Phoenix ranger without Trinity herself being kicked out of the house. Or, hey, maybe they wouldn't hate her. This was all for the good of the world. She wasn't murdering some random girl (ha) for the hell of it.

...Nope, they would still hate her. They would have to.

The teenager closed her eyes and growled under her breath, wondering if she would be forced to come back another day. Maybe she'd just walk up into the main house and get their attention, she mused jokingly. Not that she ever would. Misty was there, and the baby.

Just as she finished her slightly amusing thoughts, something hit the stairs. Softly, but it was still there. Trinity froze, her body tensing for a fight, even though she was in the rangers headquarters. Then she spotted her 'opponent' and blinked, finally breaking down and laughing a bit. Fat Shade stood on the last step of the staircase, looking straight at her with big eyes.

Then the cat merphed and made his way over to the ranger, setting his fat on her boots. Trinity reached down and picked him up, making sure to be gentle as possible with her gloves. She curled her arms as if she were cradling a baby, and Fat Shade arranged himself gracefully (which was funny, considering his weight). He plopped himself back against her armored chest and promptly passed out.

"You are one weird cat, you know that?" She told the tomcat affectionately. "In fact, you are the only cat I've ever met who can be totally at home with killing machines." Animals, being more sensitive to magic and the Power, tended to avoid rangers when they were in armor.

She didn't expect a response, and she didn't get one from the mostly sleeping cat. Sighing, she shifted and moved slowly off the wall, ignoring the meow from the cat in her arms. She sank onto the medical bed that was already a mess, and leaned back a bit. Fat Shade rearranged himself once more, but fell back into sleep after a second.

"'Killing machine' is a pretty harsh term," a man spoke from the doorway, and Trinity jumped a bit, startling Fat Shade. The cat meowed, then heaved himself out of the girl's arm with a huff. He shot her a look as he walked across the bed, as if telling her that she was a horrible resting place. "Personally,I like to think of rangers as Protectors."

She stood, and her feet fell back into a fighting stance. "Who the hell're you?" She snarled, her voice harsh and demanding. She had no idea who the guy was, and strangers in the Batcave? Never a good sign.

He walked down the stairs, and she caught her first full glimpse of him. His hair was spiked up, a darker shade of brown than his eyes, which studied her from behind half-moon glasses. The guy looked to be around twenty five, and she could tell that he was in amazing shape under his black t-shirt and jeans. Nothing majorly impressive, not to her, but he looked like he considered himself a tough guy.

"I'm a friend of Kira and Trent," He informed her, still watching her. He didn't move from his place on the last step, just stood there with one hand on the railing. "I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by."

He wasn't Connor, because she'd met Connor once. Ethan was black. He was too young to be Tommy Oliver. He was a guy, so that ruled him out as their tech support, Hayley. "So the first thing you do is break into their basement?"

For some reason, he looked amused by her demanding tone and question. "I didn't 'beak in'." His smile grew to a smirk. She hated smirks. "Kira and Trent are perfectly fine with the fact I'm down here. In fact, I've been told that I should make myself at home while Trent finished lunch."

Considering that it was four o'clock in the afternoon, she doubted that. But, hey, Trent was weird, and she didn't know much about him. Maybe he liked lunch at four. Didn't mean she should just believe the guy.

"Then he should be joining us soon," Trinity remarked, shifting. She was ready to detain him until Trent got here to back up the story, but it looked as if she didn't need. The man was walking further into the room.

He folded himself into the black leather chair that Trent and Kira used to monitor the rangers, looking perfectly at home. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but what's with the morph?" He motioned to her uniform. "There's no emergency."

"Yes, I mind," She snapped, then added, "And I'd like to keep my identity to myself, thank you very much."

He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture, his face apologetic. "I didn't mean to offend you, I was just curious. I don't run into many rangers who aren't fully open with their teams."

She jerked her chin up, eyes on fire, though he couldn't see that. Something about the way he said the words made her feel guilty, and she hated the feeling. "Yeah, well, they aren't my team." She snorted at the thought. "I'm not part of their little group."

"Why not?" He asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked genuinely curious, and for some reason, she answered him.

"The rangers and I, we started out on opposite sides. They fight for goodness, and I fought for evil." She shrugged. "The Rangers aren't going to want a bad boy on their team, someone who will tarnish their souls."

Then she drew back with a sudden movement, not believing that she'd spilled her guts to a perfect stranger. She didn't do that kind of stuff; hell, she never even talked to people she trusted about things like this. Not that she trusted anyone.

The man was quiet for a moment. "You know, there are a few rangers like that. Ones who start out evil, and become good. Or vise versa. The world isn't perfect, and the rangers know that. They'd probably welcome you with open arms."

She stared at him as he spoke, and he stared back, and neither spoke for a minute, maybe two. Then she inclined her head. "Maybe. I'll have to think about it." What 'it' was, she didn't know, but he seemed to, by the small nod he gave her. "Though I'll have to ask you to keep this conversation between us?"A question, not a demand.

The guy smiled and nodded again. "I will, no worries there. I don't spill other people's secrets, not without their permission."

She didn't know what to say to that, and didn't have to, as Trent stepped into the basement. Her foster father froze, eyes narrowing on her, before flicking back to the man in the chair. "Is this man welcome here?" Trinity asked, her voice carrying.

Trent slowly made his way down the clearing. "Of course. His name is Tommy Oliver, and he was my mentor as a Dino Thunder Ranger." Trent's head tilted to the side, "I'm surprised you didn't know, since you seemed so well versed on my life." He sounded questioning, not accusing.

Trinity was perplexed, "But he'd looks younger than you. Tommy Oliver is in his early forties." The guy in the chair had to be under thirty. There was no question about it.

Tommy Oliver answered her unasked question. "Over exposure to the power. When the first few Power Ranger teams came into being, the devices used to harness the Power was...primitive, compared to what you have today. The side-effects – physical power, speed, the ability to fight – were dulled when I stopped fighting, but they never went away completely."

Trent took over, "One of the side effects is the slowing the body's degeneration. Have you noticed that your skin and hair is healthier, that you don't get sick, or headaches or even aches? That's because the Power keeps your body in the top physical condition, for as long as it can." He shrugged, "I'd have explained this to you earlier, if you'd asked." He sounded faintly accusing now.

"So you're saying that I will never grow older, for as long as I hold the Power?" Trinity asked slowly, voice betraying her shock. She didn't want to be eternally seventeen. Not that she'd have to worry about it for long, but still...

"Not exactly. Even the Power can't stop time completely, only slow it. You're growing older still, but much slower than a normal person." Tommy corrected her, "Like I'm still aging, but I'll always look ten years younger than I should, as will most of the first, second and third generation rangers. Once you give up the Power, though, you, since you have less access to the Power, should grow at a normal rate." A shrug from him, "You'll also be a normal human, as opposed to extra speed, strength and agility."

Her mind whirled as she sank back to sit on the bed. Even if she starting aging normally after she gave up the Power, she'd probably always look younger, since two years of her aging had already been slowed. It didn't sound bad, not really, but it made her wonder what other permanent side effects being a ranger would cause – beyond those to her psyche, that was.

"Are you okay?" Tommy's voice filled the silence, causing her to bring her attention back to the men. God, she couldn't believe she'd spilled her guts – for the first time – to the mentor of her foster father. That just wasn't cool.

She cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, it seems I forgot the reason for visit there for a moment." She paused, "I have information pertaining to your enemy, info that I've neglected to share."

Trent pushed off from his perch on the coffee table with a sigh. She felt sorry for him, for having to drag him back into a fight, one that was her fault. "I'll call in the other rangers."

Trinity shook her head, "Please don't. Can you inform them later, when I'm gone?" She hesitated, "There's some sensitive info about me in the story, and I'd rather not have to tell it to them." It would be easier to just tell Trent, who never seemed to judge. Of course, after he heard what she planned to do, maybe he would.

Trent paused, then nodded, "Sure, but I will be telling them," He warned, moving to sit on his huge white chair. Trinity herself relaxed on the bed as she started her story, trying to look away from both of the men.

"You know that the Emperor of Shadows is your enemy, the King of the Seventh Layer of Hell." She hated the taste of his title, "What you don't know about are his five assassins, which included the Emperor's former consort. Illusion, who you saw, Seed, Flare, Wave, and, of course, Shade. They are second only to the Emperor in the Sealed Kingdom." God, she hated to even think about them, she really did.

"Illusion is the oldest, the head of the Hell Sisters, followed by Flare, Wave, Seed and Shade, in that order of both power and age. Well, mostly. Shade was the chosen lover of the Emperor, and was therefore more powerful than the others, which led to jealousy. Shade was betrayed by her sisters and murdered, or at least, thought to be murdered. In truth, her sisters had taken her power, her immortality, and were about to kill her, when she threw her soul from her body and became reborn to an Earth woman."

She paused, "Now, you know that the Hell Dimension in which your enemies come from is sealed, correct?" She didn't wait for a reply, "Few things can leave or arrive, and one of those few things are souls. It's Hell, keeper of bad souls, so a soul has to be able to enter. The entrance leaves a small opening to throw a soul out, which is what happened with Shade's soul. The passing of such a powerful spirit, though, created a crack in the seal."

"That crack has widened with time, which is what is allowing the hell creatures to escape. The seal has to be closed for the world to be safe once more, which is the problem for me, not you." She hesitated, "The main thing right now is that the four sister are being freed. To keep their power at such a high level, they have to consume souls. The more power they have, the more they must take in. On top of that, the purer the soul, the more they gain."

"Which is where the child comes it." She explained, "Illusion is a bitch who hates to lose, which means she's going to hate loosing the child to your team. More than that, all Hell creatures know that the Power Rangers locked them away all those centuries ago, and they hate the Power."

There was silence for a second, "So this entire war was caused by a love triangle and jealousy?" Trent asked after a second, disbelief in his tone.

"No," She snapped, "It was caused became one woman was too selfish to sacrifice herself for the good of the world, because she was too selfish to just fucking die. That's not the point, though. The point is, the Hell Sisters are out, and they're too powerful for three rangers to handle." Had he completely zoned out after the first half of her story?

"Not only that, but we'll need to find a way to close the seal," Tommy pointed out, his face expressionless. Trinity shook her head slightly; had they all just tuned out the fact that these woman ate souls? Or, on a worse note, were they just so used to it that they weren't affected by soul-eating-woman anymore?

"That's not a problem. I have it covered." She informed them, "I just have to wait until the time is right."

"And when is that?" Trent inquired.

"The first red moon in November. Six hundred and sixty-five years ago, on that night, the seal was created. On that same day, when the year hits six-hundred sixty-six, I will be able to close the seal – permanently." Trinity explained.

"That's a little less than a year from now," Tommy observed correctly."Why didn't you close it when you had the chance last month?"

Trinity felt her eye twitch, "I was in denial about it. I didn't want to do what I had to do." It had been a tough choice, but a few deaths were better than the world ending.

"What changed, and what has to be done that's so denial worthy?" Trent asked, head tilted to the side.

"I've come to grips with what has to be done." She said, stretching the truth a bit. "To close the door to hell, I have to find the person who forced it open. Only the soul of that person can close it completely. That person has to completely reverse what was done, and send their soul through the original crack."

Both of the guys stilled. "You plan to murder a woman?" Trent asked softly, his eyes sparking dangerously.

Trinity jerked upright, "No! I plan to explain the situation, and give her a choice. The soul has to be willing, for one thing. And I don't won't kill a human being!" She took a deep breath, "Look, when it comes down to everything, I'm sure Shade's reincarnation is willing to walk into the depths of Hell to save your world."

"And there's not another way to solve this problem?" Tommy demanded. "This woman will just have to die?"

She shook her head slowly, "That's why I didn't do it last month, dammit! I've been searching for a different solution this entire time, but there's no other possible way!" Her helmeted head dropped into her gauntlets, and she wished she could rub her temples. Trent had lied – rangers did get tension headaches. "This girl has to die for her world!"

"That's barbaric," Trent snapped, glaring at the ranger.

"That's life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more things to worry about than pacifying two fully grown, truly naïve men." She stood then, walking over to the control monitor and pushing a few buttons with disturbing familiarity.

"Can you at least tell us who this girl is?" Tommy asked, pushing away his disgust with the ranger to adopt an even tone.

"No. If I tell you, you might try and keep me away from her, and attempt to save her life." Trinity replied, not looking at either Trent nor Tommy. "That is unacceptable."

Then she vanished in a flash of silver and black, transporting herself to the woods behind the house to demorph. She would have to arrive home soon; her foster parents would be wondering where she was.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight;

Trinity shut the door softly behind her, waiting until the lock clicked into place before turning around. She was early for once. Usually, she didn't get home till well after six, and dinner. Right now, it was five, a surprisingly early time. In fact, it was so early that no one had even come to greet her at the door, though 'greet' was really code for 'making sure she wasn't high or drunk'.

She had chosen this time of day on purpose. Trent and Tommy Oliver would still be in the Batcave, going over some stuff, probably. Jonas was still off doing Jonas-y stuff. Kira had come home ten minutes ago and taken the baby to the doctor (the Phoenix ranger had seen it), and Lauren and Chris were still out doing whatever they did as a couple. Trinity was virtually alone.

She kicked off her low heeled boots and tossed her earrings, bracelets and necklace onto the table beside the couch. Her huge belt went on the actual couch. When she was done stripping herself of the mask she usually wore, she headed into the kitchen, wondering how much time she had before Tommy and Trent came upstairs. Probably not long, but she was feeling too depressed to care at the moment.

Trinity was going to have to face her fear once and for all, and it would be the last thing she'd ever do – literally.

Shoving the thoughts away, she slung her butt onto the counter and opened the highest cupboard, pulling out the little brownie muffins that Jonas always bought and hid. Well, thought he hid. Trinity had always known where they were, if only because she hid her fruit roll ups here when she had them in her possession, which she didn't, at the moment. So, instead, she suffered through Jonas' brownies.

Three were plopped into the microwave, and a cup of two percent was poured into a small cup. A few minutes later, Trinity was curled up in the couch that had the view of the backyard, munching on milk-drowned brownie cakes.

"Trinity?" Trent asked from behind her, and she almost swallowed the brownie wrong as she swung around.

Oops. Less time than she'd guessed.

"Hey, Trent." She croaked out as she finished coughing, ignoring his concerned look, and the matching look on the guy standing behind him. "And, of course, hey, guy I don't know, who hasn't been introduced."

Trent flushed, "Sorry about that. Trinity, this is my former mentor and friend, Tommy Oliver. Dr. O, this is my foster daughter, Trinity." He was still frowning as he added, "Tommy's in town to help us out with the demon problem, Trinity. Please be polite."

Tommy stepped forward and held his hand out with a charming smile, "Nice to meet you, Trinity." There was a pause, "I've been told that you're...aware of the problems facing your family?"

Which family, Trinity wanted to ask, the good or the evil? She refrained, though, and instead said, "You mean the fact that I'm living with Power Rangers and their mentors, and recently, a baby? Because, uh, yeah, I'm kinda awake. Hard not to be."

She didn't shake his hand, and he slowly retracted it, eyes sharp as he scanned her face. For what exactly, she didn't know, but apparently, he found it, because his face smoothed out. "You'd be surprised. Heck, my family _still _doesn't know that I was a ranger, then mentor, since I was seventeen."

He was joking, and she didn't think he was backhandedly trying to impress her. He didn't seem the type. "Yeah, well, I'm a bit more observant than most people, and, ya know, those three ain't exactly subtle."

Trent snorted, but it was Jonas who answered from her perch in the kitchen doorway. "Hey, we _thought _we were being subtle. It's not like you seemed to be paying much attention, anyway." He didn't sound miffed, just pointed out the obvious.

"Nice to see you again, Jonas." Tommy said with a smile, reaching out to pull the younger male into a guy hug. "How's life been treating you?"

"My muscles are sore, I strained a bicep in the last fight, my girlfriend and I are 'taking a break', I've got a baby to look after, or rather, four of them, and a world to save." Jonas said cheerfully, "And the worst thing that's happened in a while is that _someone,_" pointed glare at Trinity, "Just ate the last three brownies that I hid _for a reason._"

"Because, of course, not having brownies is much worse than the end of the world as we know it," Trent snarked in a sarcastic tone, smiling to soften the blow.

"Hell, yes." Tommy, Trinity and Jonas said all at the same time. Then everyone burst out laughing.

It took a minute for everything to settle down, then Jonas asked, "Hey, Trin, what're you gonna do to repay me? You did, after all, steal the last three brownies from the leader of the Power Rangers."

She decided to play along, instead of getting all huffy. "How about I give you a massage for all those stiff muscles, and you let me get away with those three thefts."

Tommy and Trent swapped looks, but both teens ignored them as they bartered. "Depends. How good are you?" Jonas asked after a second of thinking.

"Very, very good." Trinity assured him, smirking.

Trent interrupted them, "As amusing as this is, why don't we discuss it in the basement, while we wait for the others? I have some rather urgent news that I want to share with the group."

Jonas nodded and pushed off from the door jam, "Lead the way, Oh Rainbow Ranger." He ducked a swat to the head from Tommy as the older ranger passed, followed by Trent. Jonas paused before going, though. "You coming, Trinity?"

She hesitated, then stood and followed him. "Does this mean I'm going to get away with stealing your brownies?"

"Hell no. You owe me a massage in exchange for them, and I intend to collect." Jonas informed her, holding the basement door open.

She chuckled and trotted down the steps, pausing only to lift Fat Shade into her arms. "Hello, Fat Shade." Then she nodded in the direction of the large rug area. "It'd be easier if you didn't have a shirt on, but that's optional."

"Aw, want to see me naked?" He teased, tossing his shirt over the plush red chair that he'd claimed as his. "You want me to lay down on the rug, right?" He didn't wait for confirmation, just lowered himself and splayed his body out with a groan. "Oh, relaxation!"

Trinity pushed the table out of the way and straddled him, "I thought you were supposed to be the responsible and serious one." She pushed her fingers into his shoulders, finding the knots. "You know, being red and the leader."

"Usually, a red would be those traits," Trent commented from where he was sitting at the table near the monitors, writing. "However, a few reds have been known to escape the mold now and again."

"Hell yeah." Jonas groaned, twisted his head as Trinity's hands dug deeper, "Harder, now. I broke the friggin' mold the moment I passed through the birth canal, I'm that unique."

"Uck." Trinity mock gagged, pushing her hands with more force. "And here I thought aliens delivered you from Mars."

Tommy chuckled as he turned his chair from the computer screens and watched the red ranger and his pseudo-massager. "While the thought of Jonas being an alien is actually probable, I'm afraid that alien life does _not _exist on Mars – I know, I've checked."

"Seriously, Dr. O?" Trent exclaimed, "I didn't know you'd been to Mars!"

Trinity frowned for a second as Jonas moaned again, "Okay, A? That sentence seems really weird to me. Am I the only one? B – there are _aliens_? When did that happen?"

Tommy chuckled. "I haven't actually been to Mars, I just spun by on my way back from a space mission, the one with all the Reds. Yes, Trinity, there are aliens, and no, you're not the only one. Something tells me that if Jonas were listening, he'd find it just as weird."

"I'm listening, and after fighting a flaming girl, I really can't find anything weird." Jonas shrugged under her hands, then flopped his head to the other side. "Sorry. God, that feels good. Hit that spot again."

Trinity shook her head and did as he asked, "Be glad that you save my city every few days or so. Otherwise, you'd have to get Chris to do it, and h so wouldn't be as nice."

"You can say that again," Chris rumbled from the doorway, moving over to plop on the couch. "And before you tell me what's going on, know that I don't want to know."

Jonas rolled his eyes so that everyone could see. "She ate my last two brownies, and is paying by back massage." He explained to his friend, then groaned and sat up, snickering when Trinity slipped off his lower back and onto the floor. "You okay, Trinity?"

"I'm fine," She grumbled, then switched her gaze to Chris. "Weren't you and Lauren on a date?" Her way of asking where Lauren was.

"We were," The pink ranger said as she suddenly appeared, probably using her inherited superhuman speed. "I just had to change. Mini skirts aren't very practical while fighting crime, ya know."

Trinity went with playful instead of cranky, the opposite of what she usually was with Lauren. For some reason, she was in a good mood, thoughts of death pushed away. "Sorry, pinkie – I've got no idea."

Chris scoffed, "Yeah, right. I saw that guy you smashed into the wall last week." He smiled at her, "I consider that 'fighting crime', and you were wearing a mini skirt."

"Ooooh," Lauren plopped in his lap and leaned closer to Trinity, "Story time!"

Trinity flushed bright red, "Oh, come on. Not only is that _not _really fighting crime, but it wasn't a big deal. Totally not story worthy."

Jonas clucked his tongue as he finished dragging his shirt on, "One of the major rules of the Rangers and allies – stories, major or minor, must be shared. No excuses or exemptions."

Trinity rolled her eyes, "Chris, you tell it if you want to. I'm bad at that kinda stuff."

Chris studied her for a second, eyes seeing past her reluctance to the truth of the matter. She didn't want to paint herself as a hero, because she didn't believe she'd really done anything major. "So, I'm down by the homeless shelter, right, working, taking the garbage out at that particular time. Not the best part of town, so I really wasn't surprised when I saw this guy preparing to beat the living shit out of his victim."

He smiled, laughing softly, "Before I could get over there, I saw this chick in a mini skirt and a tank top, her foot at this guys throat as he cried on the ground. A really funny sight, actually. The other woman ran off, untouched, and Trinity, because I realized it was her as I got closer, just stood there. She said something," he tossed her a funny look, "and let his limp off. Just a mugging that was interrupted by a girl in a mini skirt."

Lauren giggled, "And I'm guessing this guy's face was kinda freaky out when you landed him on his ass?"

"Oh, it was priceless. He couldn't believe a girl in high heels had actually kicked his ass in seconds," Trinity smirked, "Guess it really was funny, after all."

"What was funny?" Kira asked as she trotted down the steps, ponytail bouncing after her as she made her way over to Trent and gave him a kiss. "Or is it one of those teen things?"

"Teen things," Jonas replied for everyone, "So whatchya been up to, Kira?"

"Dropped the baby off upstairs with Misty, again. He's got a clean bill of health, though the doctor said to make sure he was eating properly. Rocky might get depressed without his mommy."

"Rocky?" Tommy chocked out, "You named his _Rocky_?"

"Yeah. Misty told me that, when she took him outside, he kept trying to eat rocks, and she'd been calling him Rocky ever since. He seems to like it." Kira told her former mentor, then paused, "Why?"

Tommy snickered, "The guy who took over Jason's red ranger position, and my seconds in command after the original pink ranger, was named Rocky. Lets just hope that this little guy doesn't take after his namesake."

"He couldn't have been that bad, not if he'd been red." Jonas protested, smiling innocently. "The reds are, after all, the leader and serious ones."

Trent, Kira and Tommy all laughed. "Don't even try it, kid. I was the red ranger twice over, and the leader three times. I know _exactly _how a leader thinks, and it ain't always serious." Tommy joked with the newest red. "Plus, I trained Connor."

All three former rangers shuddered, and then Lauren pipped up, "Hold on. You said earlier, that the pink ranger was your 'second-in-command'. What, exactly, does that mean?"

Tommy paused, looking at Trent and Kira. "We haven't touched the subject, yet. Jonas hasn't said anything about a pull, or a second, at all." Trent explained. "You might as well, since you know more about it."

"A second is the leader when the leader is away," Tommy began, "Or if the leader is judged unfit at the time. Normally, that doesn't happen, but...lets say that the leader's family is kidnapped, and the leader is too angry to think clearly. The second would step in and have to make all the commands."

There was some hesitation, "In my case, when I came to the team as a green ranger, the original leader had his second in command in the pink ranger. I took over that position from her. Later, when I became the white ranger and new leader, the original red became my second. When he left, the Pink ranger became my second. She left soon after, and Rocky came on." Tommy shrugged, "It seems, on most teams, that the pink or yellow is always second in command, though that's just speculation on my part."

Chris cleared his throat, "You're talking as if no one had a choice on the position. I mean, I understand that the leader is always the most powerful and usually red, and that's how he or she is chosen, but a second?"

"You're aware that the team is bonded by the Power, correct? That, when you give your word to the team to fight with them, that the Power binds you together?" Tommy waited for nods, then continued. "Well, remember that snap when you all came together and fought together the first time, after being bound?" Again, more nods. "When the leader meets his second, _if _his second is part of the team, that snap, the feeling, will be there for him. He'll know."

"So you're saying that Chris isn't my true second-in-command, my deputy, as the case would be?" Jonas asked, mind whirling. "And that neither is Lauren, since I don't have that 'snap' with her, either."

Tommy nodded. "Exactly. This leads me to summarize that your second is the Silver ranger, who has yet to join the team." He hesitated again. "There was one ranger team, where the leader's second in command was the pink ranger. Now, there was also another ranger, a crimson, running around. When the pink ranger left, the leader was without his 'deputy', as you called it. Then, way later, the crimson ranger joined the main team and became the second. So, yes, its entirely possible that a ranger out there is the only one capable of becoming leader in your stead, and you just haven't found said ranger yet."

"But you said that, in the other teams, when a Second left, that they were replaced. Why didn't that happen with the red ranger?" Lauren asked, slightly confused.

"And there is a question without a true answer. My friend proposed that, maybe, the leader and his co-leader's Power has to be so close, so compatible, that they have to click. Maybe there are only two or three rangers capable of that on a team, maybe less. Maybe the Power had a plan. Who the heck knows." Tommy shook his head, looking frustrated with his lack of answers for the team.

"So it could be possible that Jonas will never find his true backup?" Trinity asked after a second, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Well...yes. That would be very problematic," Trent said after a second. "A second plays a big part in a ranger team. They keep the leader grounded, and balance out of the team. They provide checks and balances, and make sure that no leader ever gets too big-headed or irrational."

"But its also improbable that Jonas will be without one forever." Kira informed them, "The three of us believe that the Silver ranger, once he joins the team, will take that position."

"But the silver ranger shows no intention of joining the team," Chris pointed out. "What happens then?"

"Then the team will remain incomplete and vulnerable." Tommy told them gravely. "Which is one of the reasons we must provide this...ranger with a reason join the team." He sounded almost disgusted as he said it, as if he didn't want to invite this ranger into the base.

"That's actually what we called you four down here to discuss," Trent admitted. "The silver ranger delivered some...disturbing news regarding the gateway to Hell."

Trinity listened with only one ear as she processed this new twist. So, without her, the team wasn't as strong as they could be, should be. Maybe that was why that woman had died, why Chris had gotten knocked out that one time, why Jonas always seemed so stressed, why Lauren was always tired. All because the silver ranger was too dumb to realize that the team needed _all _of its members.

She came back to earth as Lauren spat out, "We have to stop him. He can't go around sacrificing girls, no matter the cost. Its _evil._"

The disgustangerhatefear was so strong, as it radiated from the three teens and three adults, that Trinity was overwhelmed. She let out a whimper and clutched her stomach, trying not to dry heave. Her shields should have stopped this, dammit. She should be so overwhelmed. This shouldn't be happening.

"...intiy?" Jonas asked, kneeling down beside her, in front of her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"'m fine." She ground out, heaving breath after huge breath, slowly adding more layers to her mind. "Just a sad story." She mumbled, breathing easier as the nausea passed and the emotions of the others were dulled and replaced with concern.

"And I'm the Queen of England. What's really going on?" Jonas asked, picking her up and easing her onto the now empty couch. Lauren and Chris watched from a few feet away, eyes wide, with Trent, Kira and Tommy behind them.

"I was just upset by the fact you all have to murder someone," Trinity ground out, her head still pounding from the whiplash of hate that had, indirectly, been turned her way.

The alarm sounded, then, just as Kira stepped forward and opened her mouth. Instead of what was probably intended to have come out, Kira said, "We can deal with this later. Go save the world for now."

Jonas gave her one last look, then stood and backed away. A second later, fire of red, blue and pink washed the room, and the rangers were gone.

"Well, if y'all are all done messing with me, I'm going to go to my room." Trinity snapped and stood, almost glad as everyone ignored her. Well, everyone but Tommy.

"You aren't going to stay and watch your friends?" He asked, curious about this girl who knew so much and acted so tough.

"No," She snapped, "And they aren't my friends. More like roommates." Then she was gone, pulling herself up the stairs and getting ready to morph.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note – Shorter chapter, big leap in identity, all that jazz. WoOt~

Chapter Nine;

Jonas growled as he was caught with another Xale. The monster was trashing with Lauren and Chris was busy with his own pile of minions. If their pink ranger didn't get help, and soon, she was going down. Not a good thing.

With renewed anger and a dose of fear for his teammate, Jonas spun around with a round kick, planting his foot directly on the seal that tied the evil soul to the artificial body of the minion. Then gave a repeat of the same kick, hitting another one, before he was forced to lower his foot and resort to hands and blocks. You just couldn't kick all that well when being mobbed.

"Lauren!" Chris yelled, and Jonas looked to his sole female teammate, only to see her be flung across the street and through a glass window. She didn't get back up, at least not while he was watching.

He pushed down the panic and bolted from the group of Xales at about the same time as Chris, falling back towards Lauren, who was just struggling to get up. Chris got her left arm, Jonas got her right, and together, they pulled her to her feet. "You okay, Lauren?" Jonas asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She gasped out, shakily nodding her helmeted head. Then she collapsed, the morph dropping. Chris barely caught her before her head knocked against the cement.

"Fuck." Chris muttered, lifting her in his arms, bridal style. "God, Lauren." She was bleeding from the glass, but the biggest worry was brain injury, since her suit had, apparently, not taken the entire blow. "What do we do, Jonas?"

"Radio Trent and Kira. Have them teleport here." Jonas instructed his friend, "Put her down, first, though. I need you here." He really needed all his team here, he thought as he watched the Xale mass around the three of them.

Chris's helmet nodded, then Lauren was laid on the biggest piece of rumble. A second later, Chris muttered to Trent or Kira, and a pink light surrounded Lauren. She was gone with the light. "Hell."

"Sorry, no, but I'll gladly escort you there, if you'd like." A female voice said from behind them, and they both turned to see a woman with green skin, surrounded by vines that hadn't been there before. "Hello, Rangers."

The woman had plant-green skin, with pupiless green eyes and a mass of vines that dropped from her head and regrew every second. She was actually standing in a pile of the snake-like vines. "Let me guess – you're one the five Hell Sisters?"

She cackled, legitimately cackled. "Actually, there are only three of us now, but then, that's two more than needed to destroy the Power Rangers." A smirk graced her lips, "And you may call me Seed, third-in-command of the Hell Sisters."

Jonas, honestly, didn't care. "Don't care." Then he dropped back to his haunches, letting Chris's throwing dagger fly straight over his head and into Seed.

Except that would be too easy. Instead of hitting Seed, it thudded into a thick vine, which dropped from hair-vines and onto the floor, disappearing into a withering pile of vines. The dagger appeared back in Chris's holster, Jonas noted, but it hadn't struck Seed.

"Aw, how cute." Seed cooed, then her face fell flat as a light green glow surrounded her. "But I'm not Flair, with her noonday weakness, nor am I Illusion, who let hunger get the best of her. No, I'm Seed, the greatest of the Hell Sisters."

There was an explosion of sound from behind them, but no one looked.

Jonas, sensing a potential weakness, smirked under his helmet. "And here I thought Shade was supposed to have been the most powerful. She did, after all, single-handedly open up hell and defeat true death, right?" At least that's what Trent had said, who had been told by the Silver ranger.

Sure enough, the green glow exploded around the woman, as if she were pissed. "Do not speak that traitor's name, you filthy human!" The vines fell faster, and the floor seemed almost covered now, thought the vines stayed away from the rangers. "I will peel your skin back from your bones and wear it to my bed!"

"Awww, I didn't know you missed your sister dear _that much._" The silver ranger spoke from the doorway, tossing an Xale to the ground and giving it's forehead a stomp. "Otherwise, I would have returned her sooner."

"You!" The shriek hurt Jonas's ears, and he wondered how the two knew each other. "Youyouyou! I WANT YOU DEAD, YOU POWER FREAK!"

Well, briefly wondered, as Xales heard their mistress's anger and flowed into the shop. The monster stood in the doorway, too, but didn't wade in. Instead, it twirled its vine-like arms and cowed hungrily.

"Get out of the closed space!" The silver ranger commanded as he tossed another Xale back to Hell with a kick to it's forehead. "I'll join you as soon as I can!"

Jonas nodded, feeling rather confused. He should hate the silver ranger for murdering an innocent girl. On the other hand, he was always there to save the rangers, no matter what. "Fall back, Chris! Avoid the monster if possible!"

Chris nodded, and the two male rangers fell back, leaving a shrieking Seed and an intense looking Silver ranger in the shop. They fought back to back, getting rid of the Xales slowly but surely. "Any news on Lauren or the monster, you guys?" Jonas panted through the comm. link.

"Actually...yeah. Lauren just woke up. She's dizzy and isn't feeling well, and says she's been depleted of the Power." Tommy's voice came over the comm. line. "Trent and Kira are with her now...Here's Trent."

"It sucks Power, you guys. Lauren says it got its vines around her neck, and all her Power was being sucked away." Trent explained in a quick, breathless voice. "She says that, when the thing got a hold of her, the thing's stomach opened. If you can hit that, it should be vanquished."

"So one of us has to sacrifice to get the thing killed?" Chris asked through his line, ducking and letting Jonas's back fist hit the next Xale.

"Unfortunately, that's what it's looking like. We're going to try and find another solution, so don't approach it just yet, not unless its urgent." Trent explained. "Talk to you when I got more. Good luck!"

With that, the comms were cut and the two rangers were allowed to fight with a single-minded veracious...at least for a few seconds. A second later, an artificial voice came over the line, causing the two rangers a few precious seconds before their regained their footing. "Rangers, I'm going to be coming out of the building. Seed has the jump on me, and she's about to deliver the final blow – I'm trusting y'all to cover me and make sure that doesn't happen."

"How?" Chris asked as Jonas covered him, killing the Xale as Chris talked and got ready to act. They would need range weapons, not combat, since there was no way to reach the building before the two people came out.

"Hit her in the chest with that dagger. She'll be too busy trying to murder me to -" The voice broke, and the silver ranger was thrown free of the building.

The silver ranger landed on his back, a moan ripping through the line, and Seed poured on freaky speed, appearing above the ranger within seconds. A long, dark green blade was held above the green woman's head, and she was about to push it into the silver ranger's chest when a dagger sliced through the air.

The silver ranger took Seed's feet out from under her and rolled, letting the sword fall through the air and slice, freakishly enough, through concrete. The hilt stuck up from the ground, but Seed was looking down at the hilt sticking from her own chest, eyes wide. "N-no..." The woman breathed, then seemed to just...vanish in a blast of green.

The dagger reappeared in Chris's holster, covered in black blood.

"Are you okay?" Jonas asked as he finished off the last Xale and knelt by the silver ranger. "Can you still fight?"

"No," the automatic voice responded, causing both Chris and Jonas to jolt in surprise. "I used a lot of Power, and I don't think I can even hold the morph for more than thirty more minutes."

"Shit," Chris said, "We've got to get you out of here, then."

"Again, no. You need me for this very last part." The silver's voice was harsh, but Jonas was guessing he was in pain, not angry. "I listened to the conversation – you need someone to be bait."

"We need someone to be bait who won't die on us," Jonas argued. "You just said you used a lot of Power – it'll suck your life force if you run out, and we can't afford that."

The monster was approaching, no longer held back by its commander's will. "I'll just have to trust that you two are as fast as you were earlier. Plus, I'm about to kill a woman – I figure that I deserve a little punishment."

Jonas sighed, "You're going to do this no matter what, right?"

"Hell yeah." The voice responded, and the silver ranger stood with the help of Chris and Jonas. "Wish me luck, boys."

"You got us on your side – you don't need luck." Chris responded, then fell back, pulling out both throwing daggers.

The silver ranger pulled something from his belt, then held it towards Jonas. "Just pull back the string and trust that the arrow will follow through, and you won't miss a shot." The silver instructed, then stepped forward.

Jonas pulled the string back, at the ready, and waited. He just hoped the ranger knew what he was doing.

The vines wrapped around the waist of the silver ranger, and shock waves began to carry down the vines. A scream seemed to rip from the silver ranger, and a silver glow eloped him. The mouth took a second to open, and Jonas was wishing it would go faster.

Then the glow faded, the mouth opened, and both rangers let their weapons fly. The daggers and arrow hit true, and the monster gave a roar, its vines wilting to black and falling to dust. The monster itself followed through, leaving the silver ranger alone on the ground, one his hands hands and knees.

"Everyone okay?" Kira's voice flowed through the line.

"Don't know yet. The silver ranger is..." Jonas trailed off, pulling up the silver ranger and looking at _her _strangely. "A chick."

"Holy shit," Chris muttered.

The glow had faded, and now, there was a shorter ranger, maybe five five, with less bulky armor. The armor was still the same color, but, like Lauren, the ranger had a skirt and a slimmer helmet. Jonas had no idea how, but for some reason, the ranger had been manipulating the armor to a different look and height.

"What?" Kira asked, sounding confused.

"The silver ranger's a _she, _not a _he." _Jonas said after a second, "I think the creature sucked up the extra Power that had been used to make the armor more masculine."

"..." Kira didn't speak for a second, then, "Bring her in. I don't care if he – sorry, she – objects. We all need to talk."

"Got ya." Jonas said, and held tighter onto the struggling ranger. "And you – would you stop? No one is going to hurt you. We just want to fucking talk, okay!"

There was silence, then a nod.

Well, he thought, thank god _something _went right today.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten;

She grabbed onto the Power with all the force of her will, trying keep her basic morph from slipping. Her disguise had already been forced away; she refused to let anything else drop off. Not that she planned to keep her secret (or one of them, anyway) for much longer. She just wanted it to be of her own desire, not a decision based on weakness.

"I can walk," She snapped, wincing as the voice came out as male.

"No, you can't." Jonas calmly told her as he escorted her to a hidden place, where they could safely beam away. "And you can drop the voice synthesizer. We know you're female."

"Power Suit – Voice to Base Mode." She ordered, letting the synthesizer change her voice to female. It was still masked, but it was no longer male. "And why can't I walk? I'm not that badly wounded."

A second later, Jonas snapped his arms away from her waist. She gasped and dropped, only to be caught by Chris before she hit the ground. "Last time I checked, you'd have to stand before you could walk." Chris commented as Jonas wrapped his arm around her waist again. Chris kept her other side.

"Beam us up, Scotty." Jonas said, and a blue and red light engulfed her.

When her vision cleared once more, she was back in the basement. Tommy and Trent were sitting by the computer monitor, facing the middle of the room, where the three rangers landed. Kira and Lauren were to the left, Lauren in one of the three medical beds and Kira standing between Lauren's bed and an empty one.

Chris released her and bolted towards his girlfriend, pulling off his helmet in one smooth move before leaning down and kissing her. Jonas snickered and moved Trinity towards the empty bed on Kira's other side.

"You'll have to drop the armor sometime, you know, and right now, it'd save you from a lot of trouble." Jonas told her, helping ease her onto the bed. "Trent finds it harder to be angry at girls than rangers."

"Shut up, Jonas." She snapped, then winced. She was thrown off balance, first from Seed's death, her almost-death, and then the Power suckage. Still, that was no excuse to slip and act familiar with the rangers.

"No need to beat yourself up over it." Jonas said, as if reading her mind, even though her shields were iron tight. "I'm well aware that I know you without the ranger suit. I don't know who you are yet, but I do know you."

"And how did you come to that asinine conclusion?" She demanded.

"The feel of your mind." Jonas informed her, standing back up and dropping his own morph. His hair was plastered to his head, now, but otherwise, he looked healthy. "I can't place it just yet, but with every meeting, I'm learning to get past the helmet's interference and learning your brain waves. Soon enough, I'll be able to put together a profile and find out who you are."

"Liar," She accused, glaring up at him even as she settled into the bed. "You can in no way read my mind."

"I can't _read _your mind. I _can, _however, study your shields and the type of waves that make up that shield. Then, I'll find someone who's mind is shielded – unsurprisingly, there are only a few dozen people who can – even a little bit, and I match up the types of shields and waves." He told her, face blank.

"Well," She said after a second, "Shit. Here I was, thinking I could be clever and still help you, and I was compromising my own identity."

He shrugged, but didn't get to speak. Kira was at her other side, clearing her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but..." She held out a hand, slowly. "I wanted to thank you. Because of your sacrifice, none of these rangers, whom I think of as my children, had to be harmed. I am in your debt."

Trinity couldn't help it; she giggled. Kira and Jonas both stared at her as if she were insane. "Sorry, sorry, its just...if you were me, you'd see the horrific irony in the statement, and you'd be slightly hysterical, too."

"And how is it ir-" Jonas was cut off as a huge explosion came from upstairs.

Every ranger, former or otherwise, jerked and started up towards the stairs. Even Lauren. All except, of course, Trinity, who knew she would be no help and that this was the best escape possible.

Tommy stayed, as well, keeping his seat in the black leather throne. "You aren't going to help out." A statement, not a question.

"I'd be in the way," She defended herself. "Besides, I don't think it's anything major. It shouldn't be, anyway. We just killed a Hell Sister – I don't think anyone would be coming after us that fast."

"What about revenge?" Tommy asked after a second, and that caused Trinity to blink.

"The only one who would care what happened to Seed would be her favorite sister, Wave." Trinity muttered, then blinked, "And she's the weakest and the most cowardly. She doesn't have the power to send a monster on her own, and she isn't going to come out without one."

"So, even if it is an attack, the only things up there would be Xales." Tommy finished her thought.

They both sat in silence for a second, then Trinity gingerly got off the bed. "Sorry, Dr. Oliver, but I've really gotta go. Like, now."

Tommy didn't move. "I'm not going to stop you. I've been a ranger long enough – I know that, in your own time, you'll come around and join the team. Pushing won't help."

Trinity was silent for a second. "You really aren't going to make me stay here?"

Tommy shook his head, "No. I'd advise that you did, for health reasons, but I won't push a ranger to do something they feel they aren't ready for, even a ranger who's plotting to kill someone."

Her jaw locked for a second, "Okay, ya know what? I'm getting tired of this – I don't plan to murder anyone." She took a step forward and sighed. "Can I ask you to do me a huge favor?"

"Depends. What is it you want?" Tommy asked.

"I'm going to be forced from my armor any second now. I'd really like to keep who I am a secret, and I need your help with that." She explained. "I don't plan on staying secret for much longer...just long enough to get done what needs to be done."

He seemed to think, then nodded. "I agree – on the conditions that I get the whole story, and that I don't have to actively lie."

She nodded, then sighed in relief as the morph left her. "Agreed."

Tommy smiled, "And why am I not surprised to find out who you really are." He shook his head and stood, "How are we going to explain your appearance down here but not up there?"

"I'm already hurt, obviously..." She trailed off, then stopped, "And I have no idea. I'm not really thinking all that well, I guess."

"Maybe because you were injured in an explosion, thrown against a wall and have a head wound?" Tommy suggested, eyebrows raised. "Of course, you managed to stumble down into the basement before passing out near the door – you're stubborn like that."

Trinity gave him a weak smile, "Thanks – and by the way? That girl I was talking about?"

Before she could finish explaining, Tommy held up his hand, shushing her. "I've been a ranger – I understand self-sacrifice; I believe it's unnecessary, but you aren't going to listen to me just yet."

"You're a pretty smart dude, Doctor Oliver, you know that? Naïve, but smart." She pronounced, swaying a bit on her feet.

"And you're so painfully young. Now," he made waving motions with his hands, "Go. Run outside, scream, fall against a wall or something. Just bring attention to yourself."

She rolled her eyes at him as she turned to leave, the stereotypical rebel teenager. "I'm over a millennium old – and I have the mentality of a seventeen year old. I _know _how to bring attention to myself, there's no need to teach me."

He rolled his eyes back at her, but it did no good. She was already slumping up the stairs, gone to terrify her family into thinking she was injured. Oh, Tommy thought, so painfully young, even if she were over a millennium old.


End file.
